IIHF announces cancellation of January events and is receiving criticism for it

The International Ice Hockey Federation has announced cancellation of all its January events due to the rise in COVID-19 cases.

Among the cancellations are the 2022 U18 Women's World Championships in Sweden, which marks the second straight year that the tournament will not take place. This is not sitting well with many people. The 2021 Men's U18 World Championships in Texas were able to go on as well as the 2022 U18 men's tournament still scheduled in Germany for April. The IIHF is also still allowing the 2022 U20 Men's World Junior Championship to go on in Edmonton, which takes place from December 26 to January 5.

It seems that many players and fans are noticing a sizable gap in the sport among men and women. People are claiming that the IIHF has been prioritizing the men's programs over the women's, and it is hard to not see this.

U.S. Women's National Team forward Abby Roque called the move «embarrassing», as well as stating that the IIHF needs to «fix this.»

Along with the major cancellations, many of the lower-tier tournaments for men and women have been canceled in the month as well.

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