Finland wants to strip Belarus of right to host Ice Hockey World Championships in 2014

Finland’s government has appealed to the Finnish Ice Hockey Association to deprive Belarus of the right to host the tournament.

Minister of Culture and Sport Paavo Arhinmäki said in Parliament’s question-time on Thursday that Finland’s government has appealed to the Finnish Ice Hockey Association in order that it would exercise its authority to deprive Belarus of the right to host the tournament.

”In Finland’s view, the event has to be moved to another country”, Arhinmäki notes.

According to Arhinmäki, major sports events are used as means of propaganda to prop up autocrats. The minister says that the Alexander Lukashenko is only interested in his own money, power, and in ice hockey.