{"id":47241,"date":"2024-01-13T04:23:06","date_gmt":"2024-01-13T04:23:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/israel-blocked-from-world-ice-hockey-championship-the-express-tribune\/"},"modified":"2024-01-13T04:23:06","modified_gmt":"2024-01-13T04:23:06","slug":"israel-blocked-from-world-ice-hockey-championship-the-express-tribune","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/israel-blocked-from-world-ice-hockey-championship-the-express-tribune\/","title":{"rendered":"Israel blocked from World Ice Hockey championship | The Express Tribune"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\nPARIS:
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The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) on Thursday barred Israel from its world championships to ensure the “safety and well-being” of all participants, including Israelis.<\/p>\n

“The IIHF Council took this decision after careful consideration and based on a risk assessment, discussions with the participating countries, and discussions with the hosts,” the federation said in a statement.<\/p>\n

Israel will remain excluded “for the time being”, the IIHF said.<\/p>\n

The Israeli men’s team were scheduled to play a Division II-A world championship tournament in Serbia in April against teams including Australia and the United Arab Emirates.<\/p>\n

Later Thursday, the Israeli Ice Hockey Association said it will protest the IIHF decision with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).<\/p>\n

“The discriminative decision to exclude Israel is an unusual and very serious step that does not meet any international sporting standard and stands in complete contradiction to Olympic values,” said a statement from the Israeli federation released by the country’s embassy in Paris.<\/p>\n

Yael Arad, the chairman of Olympic Committee of Israel, described the ban as a “precedent-setting and dangerous decision”.<\/p>\n

He said it reflected “a strong undercurrent of discrimination…disguised under the pretext of athlete safety.”<\/p>\n

The international federation’s move comes with Israel locked in a war in the Gaza Strip.<\/p>\n

The war erupted when Hamas militants stormed across the Gaza border into Israel in an unprecedented attack on October 7 which left some 1,140 people dead, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.<\/p>\n

Israel has vowed to eradicate Hamas and has kept up a relentless bombing of Gaza, which the Hamas-run health ministry says has killed at least 23,469 people, mostly civilians.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n