April 21 (Reuters) - The women's ice hockey world championships set to be played in Halifax and Truro, Nova Scotia have been cancelled because of a surge in COVID-19 cases in Canada, Hockey Canada said on Wednesday.
The announcement came one day before the 10 teams were to arrive to begin their quarantine ahead of the May 6-16 tournament.
"This is very disappointing news to receive with just a few weeks until the tournament was to begin," said International Ice Hockey Federation president Rene Fasel in a statement.
"We strongly believe that we had the adequate safety measures in place to protect players, officials, spectators and all residents in Halifax and Truro, based on the IIHF and Hockey Canada's experiences from hosting the IIHF World Junior Championship in Edmonton.
"In the end, we must accept the decision of the government."
The IIHF and Hockey Canada were informed by the Nova Scotia provincial government on Wednesday that the 10-country tournament could not go ahead due to safety concerns associated with COVID-19.
With Canada in the midst of a third wave of COVID-19 and cases on the rise, Nova Scotia imposed travel restrictions on Tuesday barring travellers from outside the province unless it is for essential business.
"While we are disappointed with the cancellation, we understand the decision was made with the health and safety of all participants and the community at large as the top priority," Hockey Canada Chief executive officer Tom Renney and president Scott Smith in a joint statement.
"We will explore all options to host the event in the coming months, if it is deemed safe to do so.