There have been many turns back and forth regarding this spring's ice hockey World Cup where Belarus and Latvia will host the championship together.

On Monday, the International Ice Hockey Federation, IIHF, President René Fasel and Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko met to talk about the World Ice Hockey Championships.

According to Vice President Kalervo Kummola, Fasel has changed his mind and no longer believes that Belarus should host the World Cup.

But not according to Fasel.

- Our first alternative is still to arrange the World Cup in Minsk and Riga.

There are no other alternatives right now, says Fasel in a statement on the IIHF's website.

Unrest in the country

Since Lukashenko declared victory in Belarus' presidential election in August, there has been widespread unrest in the country.

There have been extensive demonstrations critical of the regime where the regime has responded with acts of violence and ill-treatment.

Fasel says in the statement that, in addition to the concern about the country's corona security, he also addressed the unrest that has been in the country and that there is a concern to host the World Cup in Belarus because of it.

- We can not ignore these problems, but at the same time we have teams and partners who trust that we will find a way to arrange the World Cup, says Fasel.

- We had this meeting to have the opportunity to speak directly to the president and in this way present our concerns for this championship directly to the management.

So that they really understand the seriousness of this situation.

May have financial consequences

The IIHF expects Belarus to work hard to meet these requirements.

- The government agreed to an open and constructive dialogue with the opposition and put the political focus aside for the World Cup.

Also to use the sport as a means of bringing people together.

We are aware that politics is outside our table, but this was a necessity to ensure a secure championship, says Fasel.

- We do not believe that a World Cup in Belarus will solve all the country's problems, but it could initiate a positive change.

Failure to host the World Cup could have financial consequences for the IIHF.

- Yes, that risk exists.

We have a contract so we really have to be careful about how we handle the situation and fulfill our contractual obligations.