IIHF reportedly decide to strip Belarus of World Championship co-hosting rights Wednesday, 30 December 2020 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) President René Fasel is set to inform Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko that the country has been stripped of its 2021 World Championship co-hosting rights, according to Swiss media reports. German-language Swiss news website Watson reported the IIHF would move matches at the tournament from Minsk amid the crisis in the country sparked by Lukashenko's controversial re-election in August. Fasel and the IIHF have insisted they still plan for Belarus to co-host the event with Riga in Latvia, despite calls for the competition to be moved amid a violent Government crackdown on protesters - including athletes - against the Lukashenko regime.