Türkiye withdraws from WWIIB
by Filip Ozbolt|15 FEB 2023
The Turkish women’s national team will not be able to play in this year’s IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship Division II Group B.
photo: Stjepan Cizmadija
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The Turkish women’s national team was officially withdrawn from the 2023 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship Division II Group B in Cape Town, South Africa, from 20 to 26 February 2023.

The Turkish Ice Hockey Federation informed the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) of the withdrawal due to two major earthquakes that occurred in southeast Türkiye on 6 February 2023. The two devastating earthquakes affected 10 different cities and over 13 million people.

The Turkish Government first declared a state of emergency followed by the national mourning across the country. In addition, all national and international competitions have been postponed until a later date by the government and the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

The IIHF sends its deepest condolences to the Turkish Ice Hockey Federation, as well as the families of the victims. The thoughts of the whole IIHF community are with all the people affected by the earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria.

The 2023 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship Division II Group B will be played with five teams: Australia, New Zealand, host South Africa, Belgium, and Croatia. A new game schedule has been created and published on the event website.