The IIHF's Annual Congress provided some surprising news regarding new member nations, accepting Qatar as a full member and Jamaica as an associate member. Rene Fasel also delivered a defence of the IIHF's decision to host the 2014 World Championships in Minsk, Belarus, despite political pressure to move the event.
At the 2011 IIHF Annual Congress, a letter was submitted signed by European Parliament member (and Hockey HOFer) Peter Statsny and U.S. Senator Dick Durbin calling for the IIHF to revoke the awarding of the 2014 IIHF World Championships to Belarus. Recent actions taken by Belarussian President Alexander Lukaschenko are the stated reason, and it puts the IIHF in an awkward spot.
There's a whole lot of opinion being tossed around at the World Hockey Summit as to what exactly should be the calendar going forward for international competition. Find out why there is such a difference between the European and North American stakeholders.
On the first full day of sessions at the 2010 World Hockey Summit, European federations spoke out against the practice of Canadian and American major junior players taking import players. For a further look at why this is viewed as a problem, read on.
