Germany may pull out of the hockey world championship over Russians

Germany may withdraw from hosting the ice hockey world championship if Russian players return to the tournament. This was stated by Lutz, head of the German ice hockey federation, in an interview with the TV channel MagentaTV. The championship is scheduled to take place in May in Düsseldorf, Mannheim and Gelsenkirchen.

“I don’t want to paint too bleak a picture, but of course we have to consider the option of pulling out of the world championship. I’m an optimist, but I can’t say with one hundred percent certainty that the tournament will actually take place in May,” Lutz said.

The main problem is money

The federation head named the financial side as the main obstacle. According to Lutz, the participation of a Russian team would require huge additional security costs, which could make hosting the May championship financially unaffordable.

The decision lies with politicians

For now, the German federation will wait for the next steps from the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). Lutz also has talks ahead with the German government. The authorities have a way to keep the Russians out of the tournament — simply by not issuing visas to Russian players.

“Since this is also a political decision, I will travel to Berlin next week. Right now I have not the slightest idea what to expect. Without a doubt, the discussion will focus on how far the federal government is prepared to go,” the head of the German federation said.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz