France and Austria to replace Russia and Belarus at 2022 World Cup – Ice Hockey

The IIHF has announced that France will replace Russia and Austria will replace Belarus at the upcoming men's World Hockey Championship in Finland, Report informs, citing The Hockey News.

The World Championship will be held on May 13-29 in the Finnish cities of Helsinki and Tampere.

On 28 February, the International Ice Hockey Federation suspended Russia and Belarus from every age category in international play until further notice.

The IIHF said it has "not left out the possibility" of further actions that could impact Russia's ability to enter teams in other events but that it hoped for "a swift and peaceful resolution to the war."