Germany is not ruling out a boycott or even relinquishing its hosting rights for the Ice Hockey World Championship following the decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which allowed Russia to participate. This was stated by the president of the German Ice Hockey Federation (DEB), Frank H. Lutz, on MagentaTV, reports UNN.
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Lutz does not rule out a boycott of the World Championship.
"Of course, there is also a risk that countries will say: "We cannot participate in the tournament under these circumstances." I certainly hope not. But there have already been indications of this in the past. For example, in Latvia, competing against Russian teams is prohibited by law. We would have to consider what this would mean for a tournament such as the World Championship. I very much hope that this will not lead to a boycott, because it benefits no one, especially the athletes. But, of course, this cannot be completely ruled out," Lutz said.
Lutz also left open the worst-case scenario of relinquishing the hosting rights, although only as a last resort.
"I do not want to be pessimistic. Nor do I want to call the staging of the World Championship into question. But, of course, we, as the DEB (German Ice Hockey Federation), must also consider the option of withdrawing from hosting this World Championship. Because we cannot take on a financial risk that we can no longer manage. I believe that we will find a solution. I am very, very optimistic about this. But, of course, this is also something that can reasonably be expected of us," said the head of the German Ice Hockey Federation.