Hockey Canada head says world juniors will go on as planned

OTTAWA — Embattled Hockey Canada president and chief executive officer Scott Smith says his organization will fulfil its duty as host at next month's world junior hockey tournament in Edmonton.

Smith spoke to reporters Wednesday after being questioned by MPs, some of whom called for a change of leadership at Hockey Canada, at a parliamentary hearing looking into the hockey governing body's handling of recent sexual assault allegations.

Hockey Canada has been under fire since news broke in May of an alleged sexual assault involving eight players after a 2018 Hockey Canada gala in London, Ont.

A second sexual assault allegation involving the 2003 world junior team surfaced last week.

Smith noted that the world junior championship is operated by the International Ice Hockey Federation, not Hockey Canada, and that the event will go on as planned.

The 2022 world junior tournament initially got underway in December in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alta., before being postponed due to an outbreak of the COVID-19 Omicron variant.

The tournament is set to open Aug. 9.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 27, 2022.