Israel's ice hockey teams barred from world championship events over safety concerns

Israel's men's team were set to play in Division Two of the world championships in April

The International Ice Hockey Federation has barred Israel from competing in its world championship events.

In a statement on Wednesday, the IIHF said the decision was made for the "safety and security of all participants".

There was no mention of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in the statement.

"Israel will not participate in IIHF competitions for the time being," the body added.

"In accordance with IIHF's duty of care to protect all participants at IIHF competitions and its obligation to create corresponding health and safety policies, the IIHF council has decided to restrict the Israeli national team from participating in IIHF Championships until the safety and wellbeing of all participants (including Israeli participants) can be assured."

The statement did not say whether any teams had opposed competing against Israel, but added the decision had been made after "discussions with the participating countries and discussions with the hosts".

The ice hockey world championships are divided into tiers, with Israel's men - ranked 33rd in the world out of 58 - set to compete in Group A of the second division in Belgrade, Serbia, in April with Australia and the United Arab Emirates also in their group.

Israel's women, who are ranked last in the world at 44, were set to take part in Group B of the third division in Estonia in March - facing the hosts, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Singapore and Thailand.

In March 2023, the IIHF also suspended national teams and clubs from Russia and Belarus because of the conflict in Ukraine.