Iran shared the message sent by the IIHF to participating nations of the now cancelled U-18 Women's World Championships Division III tournament that was scheduled to begin this week in Thailand.
To date, only the intended hosts in Thailand, and now the Iran Ice Hockey Association have shared information regarding the IIHF's last minute decision to cancel, and not postpone or relocate the U-18 women's World Championship Division III tournament.
The Hockey News has sent multiple requests for comment and clarification to the IIHF. The IIHF has not yet responded to those requests.
The Ice Hockey Association of Thailand released a statement saying "that the IIHF's decision was made after careful consideration and prioritized the safety and best interests of the athletes."
The tournament was slated to include national teams from Croatia, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Thailand, and Iran.
Following the decision and Thailand's statement, the Iran Ice Hockey Association shared the exact message sent to participating nations by the IIHF regarding the cancellation.
"It is hereby announced that the 2026 IIHF WW18III Championships, which were scheduled to be held in Thailand from 29.01.2026 to 04.02.2026, have unfortunately been cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances," the translated statement read.
"Following today's decision by the IIHF Council, the tournament will neither be moved nor postponed."
The IIHF has yet to clarify specifics related to the "unforeseen circumstances."
The IIHF's message to participating nations asked each team to "take necessary steps to reduce expenses incurred" such as airfare and prepaid accommodations and "to provide the IIHF with complete and accurate documentation for non-refundable expenses."
While the tournament will not be rescheduled, the IIHF did state the intent is to reimburse teams for expenses incurred.
Iran was set to make their women's debut at an IIHF U-18 World Championship tournament. All but one division of the U-18 World Championships is now complete as the Division IIB tournament got underway January 26 in Cape Town, South Africa.
