The IIHF has announced the cancellation of the Women’s World Hockey Championship that was set to take place this month in Halifax and Truro, N.S. due to the growing threat of the COVID-19 virus.

As first reported by TSN hockey insider Darren Dreger, there were multiple stakeholders involved in the decision, including the province of Nova Scotia. It's believed the final decision on the cancellation was made by the IIHF.

Subject to a formal approval, it is expected that Halifax and Truro will host the tournament in 2021.

“It is with great regret that we must take this action,” said IIHF President René Fasel in a statement. “It was not an easy decision to make, as we were greatly looking forward to hosting this tournament in Canada. Nevertheless, the decision has been made due to safety concerns for the well-being of players, officials, and spectators.

“Ultimately the IIHF Council feels that there has not been enough of an improvement to the coronavirus situation to allow us to safely host a 10-team international tournament within this timeframe. We look forward to coming to Canada in 2021.”

Earlier this month, the IIHF cancelled several tournaments but the Women’s Worlds and subsequent tournaments were still on the schedule. 

All subsequent championships scheduled for April and beyond are under evaluation but remain scheduled at the moment. The IIHF will reconvene in mid-march to discuss the fate of those tournaments.

“We will carefully evaluate on a daily basis the developments within our member countries.” said president Rene Fasel said in a statement following release of several IIHF tournaments earlier this month.