Tikhanovskaya calls decision to move Ice Hockey World Championship from Minsk victory for Belarusians
MINSK. Jan 18 (Interfax) - Former Belarusian presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya has described the decision to move the 2021 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Ice Hockey World Championship from Minsk as a victory for the people of Belarus.
"Today the Council of the International Ice Hockey Federation announced the transfer of the Ice Hockey World Championship. It is a victory, as there will not be an additional wave of repressions in order to 'purge' the city ahead of the World Championship. It is a victory because [Belarusian President] Alexander Lukashenko did not succeed in putting up a brave face to pretend that everything is under control. It is a victory because the Belarusians had their way and did it together," Tikhanovskaya said in a statement published on Telegram on Monday.
It is also a "victory for Alexandra Gerasimenya and the [Belarusian] Sport Solidarity Foundation," she said.
"It is a victory for the Belarusian community abroad. Belarusians in different countries staged pickets outside the headquarters of the IIHF and sponsors of the championship and helped foreign media outlets write about the ongoing developments," Tikhanovskaya said.
Furthermore, "it is a victory for the international team of the cabinet of representatives and Pavel Latushko, who said at every meeting with foreign diplomats how important their support is for us," she said.
"It is a victory for each Belarusian who knows that ice hockey is a game, and Belarusians have no intention of playing with criminals. This is our shared victory," Tikhanovskaya said.
As reported earlier, the IIHF announced on Monday that the decision to move the 2021 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship from Minsk was unavoidable. The IIHF Council determined that it is currently impossible to ensure the welfare of teams, spectators, and officials when holding a World Championship in Belarus.
Several sponsors of the championship, among them Liqui Moly, Skoda, and Nivea Men, said on Sunday that they would withdraw their relevant commitments if the tournament were to take place in Belarus.
IIHF President Fasel met with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in Minsk on January 11. During the meeting, Fasel complained about the pressure being put on the federation over the problems in Belarus.
At the same time, Lukashenko said that Belarus is prepared to host the World Ice Hockey Championship without Latvia, assuring that "it will be the best in history." Additionally, he promised that there is no and will not be any danger to those who travel to Belarus.
Since August 9, Belarus has seen continuous protests against the official results of the presidential election. The authorities declared incumbent head of state Lukashenko, who has been in office since 1994, the winner.
One of the issues raised by the Belarusian opposition was the need to move the 2021 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship, which was previously due to be co-hosted by Latvia and Belarus from May 21 to June 6, from Minsk.