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IIHF 2020 World Hockey Championship canceled

World Championships

BRATISLAVA, SLOVAKIA - MAY 25: Veli-Matti Savinainen of Finland controls the puck during the 2019 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Slovakia semi final game between Russia and Finland at Ondrej Nepela Arena on May 25, 2019 in Bratislava, Slovakia. (Photo by Pawel Andrachiewicz/PressFocus/MB Media/Getty Images)

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The IIHF announced on Saturday that the 2020 World Hockey Championship has been canceled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

With every other major hockey -- and sports -- league temporarily suspending play, it only seemed to be a matter of when the World Hockey Championship was also stopped.

The tournament was supposed to take place May 8-24 in Switzerland with Zurich and Lausanne being the host cities.

“This is a harsh reality to face for the international ice hockey family, but one that we must accept,” IIHF President René Fasel said in a statement. “The coronavirus is a global problem and requires major efforts by government bodies to combat its spread. The IIHF must do all it can to support this fight. We have to set sport aside for now and support both the government bodies and the ice hockey family.”

Refund policies for ticketholders are currently being clarified and will be released as soon as possible.

The IIHF also added that the potential for Switzerland to host another tournament in the future is a matter that will have to be discussed since all World Championship locations are currently set through 2025.

Adam Gretz is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @AGretz.