8:50 a.m.: Israel team excluded from World Hockey Championships for “security” reasons
The Israel team was scheduled to participate in the Division II-A World Cup scheduled for April in Serbia. The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) announced Thursday the exclusion of Israel from the World Championships and all other competitions it organizes, to ensure “the safety of all participants”, including Israelis.
“After carefully reviewing the situation, the IIHF Council has decided that, given the concerns raised around the safety of all participants in the Championships, Israel will no longer take part in IIHF competitions at this time,” wrote the federation in a press release on Wednesday.