The 2021 Ice Hockey World Championship will be held in Riga after Belarus was stripped of the right to co-host the event with Latvia, the sport's global governing body announced on Tuesday. In a statement, the International Ice Hockey Federation said its council cited "the ongoing challenges placed by Covid-19" as reasons for the decision to keep the 16-team tournament in one city. The worlds, scheduled to take place behind closed doors between May 21 and June 6, will be held in the Arena Riga and Olympic Sports Centre which are 150 metres apart in the Latvian capital, while all the players will be housed in the same hotel. "With continued uncertainty surrounding international travel restrictions, the Council believes that keeping all teams in Riga throughout the tournament and avoiding travel between two host countries is the safest and most cost-effective way to operate the event," the statement read. "The IIHF would be able to implement a bubble concept if needed." Last month Lithuania had offered to co-host the worlds with Latvia after the IIHF banned Belarus from taking part in its organisation due to safety concerns over political unrest and the Covid-19 pandemic. The move came after the Belarusian opposition and EU states called to punish authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko, a keen hockey player, in response to a crackdown against pro-democracy protesters. Belarus authorities dismissed it as a "groundless decision", saying it set a precedent for using sport competitions as an instrument "to please the interests of political demagogues". cfe/bm/td/jc