This year's Women's World Ice Hockey Championship in Canada, a preview of the fight for gold at next February's Beijing Winter Olympics, tentatively was set Thursday for May 6-16. The event, originally postponed from 2020 to April by the Covid-19 pandemic, is set for Halfax and Truro, Nova Scotia, although Canadian and provincial officials have not given final approvals or Covid-19 quarantine exemptions thus far, the International Ice Hockey Federation said. The United States women, reigning Olympic champions, seek a sixth consecutive world title and 10th overall to match Canada. The North American rivals are the only nations to claim a world or Olympic crown. The USA, Canada, Russia, Finland and Switzerland are assured of quarter-final spots while Japan, Germany, Hungary, Denmark and the Czech Republic will compete for three other spots in the last eight. Safety protocols planned include Covid-19 testing, hotel quarantines, masking and social distancing with few if any spectators at matches. "Hosting a successful Women's World Championship this season means ensuring the health and safety of everyone involved, which continues to be our top priority," Hockey Canada president Scott Smith said. js/rcw