Jussi
Registered User
No, they'll look at the options for two weeks and plan to decide during/after it.
Riga sole host for 2021 world championships (Mod warning in post #204)
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No, they'll look at the options for two weeks and plan to decide during/after it.
filip85
Registered User
- Feb 7, 2017
- 1,589
- 780
What exactly was disaster ?
p.s. I hope for Herning, please IIHF just don't give (slovak) hosting...
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Fatass
Registered User
- Apr 17, 2017
- 25,154
- 16,785
I think this is 100% about money. IIHF is losing sponsors and that costs them money. Maybe the IIHF should have a person who talks to their sponsors, and involves them in the location choices in the first place? Get the sponsors to sign off on locations, and then go from there?
Fatass
Registered User
- Apr 17, 2017
- 25,154
- 16,785
I don’t think it’s a security issue either, or why choose that location to start with? It’s 100% about money.
jcbio11
Registered User
Interesting. Thanks for the info.
I really do wonder about Bratislava or Herning. I have my fingers crossed for the COVID situation to be under control in Europe by the time May rolls around and we can have it with fans. I'd love to go if it's in Bratislava.
MoeTheHobo
Registered User
- Jan 24, 2017
- 861
- 1,048
I think Skoda cup just went from an insult to a compliment
Only the final game was a disaster and everybody knows why. Other than that the tournament was arranged very well. And just curious, whats the Tot?
MXD
Partying Hard
- Oct 27, 2005
- 52,200
- 18,179
I don't like how things got there (Skoda having to apply pressure because the IIHF lacks the balls to take the right decision on its own).
But sometimes, what matters is the result. Not how you got there. This is ultimately one of these cases.
But sometimes, what matters is the result. Not how you got there. This is ultimately one of these cases.
Jumptheshark
Rebooting myself
PanniniClaus
Registered User
- Oct 12, 2006
- 12,579
- 5,924
Jumptheshark
Rebooting myself
If there are no fans all games will be in Riga. They have couple of options beyond that of the main arena
PanniniClaus
Registered User
- Oct 12, 2006
- 12,579
- 5,924
I think the security reason is a cover for saying they are doing it for political reasons. Without getting political, Lukashenko (the President of Belarus, and the one the protests are against) is a major hockey fan and big backer of this tournament. Removing it is a blow to his prestige, but I can imagine the IIHF doesn't want to say that, for various reasons.
vorky
@vorkywh24
- Jan 23, 2010
- 11,607
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Nobody (in this thread) is discussing another important message. I will try to sum it up. So, the hockey federations in certain European countries are playing a dangerous game. The most active countries are Sweden & Finland. They are playing a game where they have no business. The most tragic result of that game may be a regress of the popularity & importance of the game of hockey in Europe.
Look at the status quo. The named national hockey federations are taking steps to make the European hockey, including club hockey, as irrelevant as possible. That is a very bad signal for the future. The previous decade has shown us that these hockey federations are not able to run pro hockey (look at their project - Champions Hockey League - death child). Some unnamed hockey federations have blocked the development of club hockey scene in Europe (Fasel & big European hockey league as one conference of the KHL). The same hockey federations, led by Sweden, are not able to negotiate fair transfer rules with NHL, the rules benefiting the European clubs. If speaking about national teams, the Euro Hockey Tour is criticised by many. There is no European competition for national teams (football has EURO, other sports have their European Championships).
Conclusion, even if I really try, I do not see any positive moves done by certain national hockey federations in Europe in the last decade. All their decisions are resulting in hockey becoming less & less important for a general audience. And that is not good, at all.
So, this Minsk decision is a final nail in a coffin.
Eye of Ra
Grandmaster General of the International boards
Jumptheshark
Rebooting myself
Thanks for the translation. If it is Bratislava I hope they can have fans. Loved them when they held it
Jumptheshark
Rebooting myself
Only if fans could attend. But I am bias as I live in Nottingham and it would be the obvious choice
Kalervo Kummola kertoo: Näin asiat etenivät, kun IIHF teki historiallisen päätöksen
Here is a newspiece in which IIHF Vice President Kummola sheds some light into the process that led to the decision. Some key points:
-Kummola says that he started personally thinking "there could be trouble brewing in Belarus" in early September when they wouldn't allow neutral election observers.
-He says then that things were going more and more wrong from there (he was being pretty vocal about it all autumn long), and the pictures of Fasel hugging Lukashenko were "the last straw".
-He says he knew well in advance that certain major sponsors were growing discontent and expresses remorse that they came out with it before the IIHF managed to make the announcement that the tournament will be moved from Belarus. He claims they were ready to move the tournament even before Skoda came out with its ultimatum.
-He says that while he's personally concerned about the human rights situation in Belarus, the key aspects that led to the decision were that they thought they couldn't guarantee the security of the participants and other attendants among the country-wide mass protests and that they couldn't get reliable COVID figures from the country.
-He says that the tournament will be played and the three possible venues are Riga in Latvia, Bratislava in Slovakia, and Herning in Denmark. They won't be considering any other venues due to timing constraints, and will be deciding the new host to replace Minsk within the next two weeks.
Here is a newspiece in which IIHF Vice President Kummola sheds some light into the process that led to the decision. Some key points:
-Kummola says that he started personally thinking "there could be trouble brewing in Belarus" in early September when they wouldn't allow neutral election observers.
-He says then that things were going more and more wrong from there (he was being pretty vocal about it all autumn long), and the pictures of Fasel hugging Lukashenko were "the last straw".
-He says he knew well in advance that certain major sponsors were growing discontent and expresses remorse that they came out with it before the IIHF managed to make the announcement that the tournament will be moved from Belarus. He claims they were ready to move the tournament even before Skoda came out with its ultimatum.
-He says that while he's personally concerned about the human rights situation in Belarus, the key aspects that led to the decision were that they thought they couldn't guarantee the security of the participants and other attendants among the country-wide mass protests and that they couldn't get reliable COVID figures from the country.
-He says that the tournament will be played and the three possible venues are Riga in Latvia, Bratislava in Slovakia, and Herning in Denmark. They won't be considering any other venues due to timing constraints, and will be deciding the new host to replace Minsk within the next two weeks.
Jumptheshark
Rebooting myself
two other pieces. The Finnish and Swedish delegations banging their drums and then sponsors kicking up a storm. The IIHF hand was being pushed by the Scandinavian countries, but it was forced by the sponsors. It looks more and more like no fans will be in the stands or the arena will be at 1/4 capacity with no fan zones and other stuff that makes the games fun.
we are 121 days away from puck drop and tickets are still not available for sale to the federations, let alone for the general fans
vorky
@vorkywh24
- Jan 23, 2010
- 11,607
- 1,374
@LordFalstaff
I really recommend you guys to read the statements from Fasel. He is very clear about the intention of Kummola & others. So, to sum it up, these people are under big influence of politicians. They are not making independent decisions, they are just following the pressure of politicians. So, they can not be taken seriously. And I say, they are hurting not just themselves (their credibility) but all European hockey. Fasel also says that "someone" has been making pressure on sponsors. Again, their decisions are not independent, at all.
Btw, any statement from Reindl?
I really recommend you guys to read the statements from Fasel. He is very clear about the intention of Kummola & others. So, to sum it up, these people are under big influence of politicians. They are not making independent decisions, they are just following the pressure of politicians. So, they can not be taken seriously. And I say, they are hurting not just themselves (their credibility) but all European hockey. Fasel also says that "someone" has been making pressure on sponsors. Again, their decisions are not independent, at all.
Btw, any statement from Reindl?
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