The IIHF World Women’s Championship has been cancelled due to the threat of coronavirus.
The decision to cancel the tournament was made by conference call on Saturday, IIHF president Rene Fasel told the Associated Press.
The tournament was scheduled to take place from March 31 to April 10 in Halifax and Truro, Nova Scotia. The IIHF has already cancelled six other tournaments following an emergency meeting of the IIHF Council last week in Hungary.
Two marquee events still remain on the international hockey calendar, for now: April’s U18 Championships in Michigan and May’s Men’s World Championships in Switzerland.
It’s been a frustrating year for women’s hockey at the top level. September saw the cancellation of the Four Nations Tournament — a key event on Team USA and Team Canada’s schedule — because Sweden’s top players were boycotting their national team, unhappy over pay and working conditions.
Americans are five-time reigning World Women’s Champion, and the U.S. has won the event in eight of the past nine years.
This is the second time the event has been cancelled due to a health scare. Organizers also cancelled the 2003 event, scheduled to take place in Beijing, due to the SARS outbreak.
Coronavirus, officially known as COVID-19, is a new strain of coronavirus that has surged around the globe in recent months. The coronaviruses are a family of viruses that cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to more serious respiratory diseases. The flu is caused by a different virus. There is no vaccine for coronavirus, though researchers are working on one and hope to begin testing soon. Older people, especially those with chronic illnesses such as heart or lung disease, are most at risk. The coronavirus spreads mainly through coughs and sneezes, though it also can be transferred from surfaces. The best way to prevent infection is by frequent hand-washing, cleaning surfaces with regular household sprays and wipes, and avoiding close contact with people who are sick.