The 2020 World Hockey Championship has been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the International Ice Hockey Federation announced Saturday.

"This is a harsh reality to face for the international ice hockey family, but one that we must accept,” IIHF president Rene Fasel said. “The coronavirus is a global problem and requires major efforts by government bodies to combat its spread. The IIHF must do all it can to support this fight. We have to set sport aside for now and support both the government bodies and the ice hockey family.”

The tournament was set to take place in Zurich, Switzerland. Since host countries are fixed until 2025, a decision has not been made as to when - if at all - Switzerland will get another chance to host the event.

The 2020 worlds was supposed to begin May 8 and run until May 24. The tournament is usually filled with NHL players whose team's didn't make the playoffs, or had already been eliminated from the postseason. With a possible NHL return currently in flux, that threw a wrench into the IIHF's plans.

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