The tournament was scheduled for January 8 and was supposed to be over on January 15. According to the IIHF, their medical committee has determined that the organizers would not have been able to manage an outbreak of the virus.
“These are hard facts to have to face, and as with last year, we must make the difficult decision to cancel men’s and women’s IIHF events, including the women’s U18 top division now for the second year in a row,” IIHF President Luc Tardif stated.
As for the Swiss team, Daniela Diaz, who is responsible for all Women's National Teams, also stated that while it is important to prioritize the health of their players, she hopes that the tournament at least can take place at a later time.
The hockey community was less than pleased with the decision of the IIHF. Several prominent figures in women's hockey (among them Hayley Wickenheiser, Kendall Coyne Schofield, and Shannon Szabados) took to Twitter to voice their disappointment and anger about the decision.
There was even an offer from the governing body of women's hockey in Ontario, the Ontario Women's Hockey Association, to host the tournament. However, whether they can actually step in and take on that challenge remains to be seen.
