covered up allegations of abuse
U20 World Cup in the shadow of a nasty scandal
The U20 World Cup has started. But the tournament in Canada starts under different conditions this year. A scandal accompanies the event.
For once, the U20 Ice Hockey World Championship will start under completely different circumstances. Usually the tournament takes place between Christmas and New Year. However, the 2021 World Cup had to be postponed to mid-August this year because the tournament had to be canceled in December. Too many players had been infected with Corona.
Now the junior tournament can be held as planned. But the mood in Canada has been gloomy for a long time. In May, TSN revealed that a woman was the victim of group abuse by eight ice hockey players on the sidelines of a federation event in 2018, including three then-members of Canada’s U20 national team. The Canadian Ice Hockey Association tacitly agreed to a comparison with the woman.
The scandal has continued ever since. Only recently, association representatives had to testify before a parliamentary committee. They admitted that since 1989 they have transferred almost nine million dollars for settlements with victims of abuse.
Talents stay away from tournaments
From a sporting point of view, there is no incentive at this World Cup. In many leagues the regular season starts in a few weeks. Many players are skipping the tournament for fear of injury.
There is no descent since Russia was excluded from the tournament due to the war against Ukraine. In addition, the next U20 World Cup will be held as planned in December. (mab)