“I think that the events in Belarus are dramatically changing the situation. Now I do not see how we, as a country, can arrange a championship together with Belarus, ”TASS quoted him as saying.
He noted that "he has already asked the Ministry of Education and Science, which is also responsible for sports, to contact the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) in order to find a solution and understand how we can best act."
In 2021, the ice hockey world championship for the fourth time should be held in two countries at once - Belarus and Latvia.
Earlier, the presidents of Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia offered their mediation to resolve the situation in Belarus.