The Men’s WFC Qualifications in Europe and America will be postponed due to the worsening Covid situation.
In Europe, Floorball activities in the majority of countries are still being limited by the corona virus. Many have only the highest national leagues being played, and even those are continually facing issues of games having to be rescheduled due to positive cases, while some countries have been forced to put a total stop to all Floorball.
The EUR2 & EUR3 qualifications were to be held in Poland and Italy during 2nd – 6th February and although both organisers and all of the participating teams had indicated in mid-December (when the first Go/No-go decision was) that they were all prepared to go ahead, the Covid-19 situation has changed dramatically since then, with the spread of the Omicron variant, and had meant that many were now hesitant about the events going ahead.
The IFF Central Board sought feedback from both organisers, as well as all 16 participating teams, regarding the events. There was a mix of replies split between wanting to play and postpone, some even recommending a full cancellation. The organisers also advised that they were, at this time, not able to confirm alternative dates, which added to the complexity of the situation.
— This was a very difficult decision for the board to make, especially with the knowledge of all the associated consequences for the organisers and teams, and without any guaranteed alternatives, however, it was unanimous that this was the most responsible decision at this time, says IFF President, Tomas Eriksson.
The IFF will continue discussions with both event organisers about new dates for the events, as well as pursuing alternative options in other locations. According to Sarah Mitchell, IFF Event Manager, at this time, we are unable to confirm when or where the EUR2 & EUR3 events will be held, however, ideally they will be scheduled for the same time as the EUR1 event (25-28 May 2022), as this was clearly the preferred option from many associations. The EUR1 event was already postponed in December and will be held 25th – 28th May 2022 in Valmiera, Latvia.
In addition, the Americas qualification will also be postponed. It was scheduled to be played in Fort Worth, Texas from 25th-26th February. New dates for this event are also still to be confirmed.
The AOFC qualification is scheduled to be played in Singapore from 30th May – 5th June 2022.
