Women's World Championship canceled over coronavirus fears

The International Ice Hockey Federation and Hockey Canada canceled the 2020 Women's World Championship in Halifax and Truro, Nova Scotia, due to the growing threat of the coronavirus, they announced Saturday.

"The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) has diligently monitored the development and risk of the coronavirus (COVID-19), and under the recommendation of the chief medical officer of health of the Province of Nova Scotia and the IIHF, it was determined the best course of action was to cancel the event," Hockey Canada CEO Tom Renney said in a statement. "This decision was made in the best interest of the players, fans, staff, volunteers, and the general public, and we fully support the IIHF's decision."

The IIHF assured Hockey Canada that Halifax and Truro will host the event in 2021.

The tournament was scheduled to begin March 31. Six other IIHF events scheduled this month were canceled earlier this week due to the virus, and the focus will now shift to whether the World U-18 Championship in April and the men's worlds in May can go on as originally planned, according to TSN's Darren Dreger.

Numerous sporting events around the world have recently been canceled, postponed, or played without fans in attendance in an effort to stop the virus from spreading.

The NHL sent a memo to all teams Friday to remind players to limit contact with fans and also order league employees to stop all business-related travel outside North America.

The Women's World Championship was set to feature a 10-team field: Canada, the United States, Finland, Russia, and Switzerland made up Group A, while Japan, Germany, Czech Republic, Denmark, and Hungary were in Group B.

In 2019, Team USA defeated Finland to claim its fifth consecutive gold medal at the event.