WJC 2023 To Be Held In Halifax & Moncton Despite Ongoing Hockey Canada Scandals

Summary

• Hockey Canada executive board resigned over the sexual allegations cover-up
• Halifax and Moncton will not let it stop them from hosting World Juniors
• World Juniors set to take place in Dec 2022

Hockey Canada has been rocked hard over the sexual misconduct scandal that has forced its entire board to resign. Despite this fallout, the Halifax Regional Council confirmed that Moncton and Halifax would host the World Junior Hockey Championships in December 2022.

Halifax mayor Mike Savage sounded enthusiastic about the plans and believed that the two cities will host the event with success. However, he hinted that some last-minute problems might occur.

Halifax Mayor Unhappy with Accusations

Halifax shares a cordial equation with Hockey Canada. Despite the good ties, Savage was unhappy with Hockey Canada’s way of dealing with the accusations in the 2018 group sexual assault case. According to him, the body’s approach to the situation lacked transparency. Hockey Canada CEO Scott Smith and the board of directors resigned on October 11, as it continued to draw flak over the scandal.

Savage said that he was unaware of the next CEO. The mayor was against making a hasty judgment as several details about the issue remain unclear. Previously, Savage had insisted on a change in the organization to address the allegations. The national sports body initiated structural changes since the allegations surfaced. The world championship would be the first international event after the enacted improvements.

Savage added that while most of the tournament tickets were sold, some will be kept by Hockey Canada for prospective sponsors. Savage said that the International Ice Hockey Foundation (IIHF) wanted to conduct the event in 2022 and believed that the two cities would pull it off. The schedule for the World Junior Hockey Championship which was announced last month will begin on December 26, 2022, and continue till January 5, 2023. 

Canada will host the event for the second time after it won the 2022 edition in August, will the latest odd back Team Canada to retain their recently won title. The tournament will take place in Atlantic Canada after two decades. The championship will bring revenues of $50 million to the two host cities, according to Halifax councilor Tony Mancini. The IIHF chose the venue after it revoked Russia’s hosting privileges due to its involvement in the Ukraine war.

Councilors Press for More Scrutiny

Although Savage supported the steps taken by Hockey Canada, several councilors demanded a scrutiny of the changes. Councilor Lisa Blackburn advocated a complete systemic overhaul of the federation. Blackburn said that the body’s complacency in dealing with the allegations promoted bad behavior among players.

Blackburn also criticized Hockey Canada’s defensive attitude at a recent parliamentary hearing. The federation faced outrage when its attempt to buy the survivor’s testimony was revealed. Allegations related to the 2003 sexual assault case are currently being investigated.