Anders Larsson, chairman of the Ice Hockey Association: "Important from many aspects"

There was never a need for a threat of a "World Cup boycott" from the Swedish side.

Yesterday, the IIHF announced that the World Cup will not be played in Belarus.

- We never got that far and did not have to do it, from our side it was important to give clear messages to the international federation that we do not believe in a World Cup in Belarus given the situation and then let our international federation lead this process, says Anders Larsson to SVT Sport.

He continues:

- It turns out where we stand today that it was wise, they have made a wise decision and we never had to go that far in our discussions.

What signals does the IIHF send when they now choose to move the World Cup?

- It is important based on many aspects.

The image of hockey, the whole image of hockey, but also basically safety and health for our events,

- It is incredibly important that our spectators and not least players and participating teams always feel safe.

Now there is speculation about which countries and cities may take over the organization?

A question Larsson does not have the answer to.

- I can not look in that orb, but there are a number of alternatives that our international federation is looking at, we will soon get a message.

What Anders Larsson thinks about the famous hug between Belarus' President Alexander Lukashenko and IIHF's chairman René Fasel can be found in the player above.