Ice Hockey Australia has cancelled the world championships in Melbourne as host, claiming Israel’s presence would make it too dangerous. Sandi Logan reports.
Ice Hockey Australia (IHA) says the inclusion of Israel in the world championships in Melbourne in April has made it too dangerous for players and fans, so has suddenly cancelled its hosting arrangements.
“Anti-Israel protests and activities (in Melbourne) have escalated significantly since we were awarded the championship and there are now significant concerns regarding safety and security of the event,” announced IHA president Ryan O’Handley in a leaked confidential eMail to his board on 28 December.
“Victoria Police advised us that there was a high chance of an incident occurring during the championship due to the escalating anti-Israel sentiment in Melbourne.”
No threat, says VicPol
Victoria Police’s major events team is taking no responsibility for the organiser’s about-face hosting the event – for Australia, Serbia, Holland, Belgium, UAE, and Israel – and denies it ever advised “there was a high chance of an incident occurring”. It also denies it advised IHA to cancel the event.
“Victoria Police spoke with Ice Hockey Australia and provided feedback about current protest activity,” a spokesperson said. “Any decision to cancel the event was one for Ice Hockey Australia.
“We understand people are concerned following this incident (at the Adass Israel Synagogue on 6 December), however there are currently no known or specific threats to any Victorian organisation, infrastructure or event. Police encourage people to go about their daily business,” the spokesperson added.
That’s certainly not the story O’Handley and IHA’s paid staff are circulating. Rumours had been rife for weeks that European teams were holding back from booking flights but it was the Israel team’s general manager Felix Kozak who first spoke about his players’ concerns – or lack thereof – for their safety and security.
“Australia is a safe country,” Kozak said. “There was zero security in Croatia when we last competed in an IIHF world championship there, and minimal security in Serbia last year. We had one Serbian guard with a gun,” he said.
“Not politically motivated”
While IHA’s president is at pains not to offend the Israelis – “I want to emphasise this decision is not politically motivated,” O’Handley wrote – his capitulation to both real and imagined security risks has prompted some in the ice hockey community to question why Australia bid for the event earlier in 2024, only months after the October 7 Hamas attacks.
“The Israel Government, its defence force, Mossad and any number of interests connected to Benjamin Netanyahu had been waging a by then brutal seven-month campaign against Hamas, against Gaza, against Palestinians – military, civilian and NGO cohorts – in an unrelenting daily bombing campaign,” said one longtime former administrator, “when Ice Hockey Australia put its hand up to host the event in April 2024. They knew back then Israel’s national team would be playing.
“This seems to me to have been a poorly considered, premature strategy to get back into international ice hockey’s good books without considering that securing the teams, transport, accommodation, venue, and everything in-between would have added $200,000 to their budget.
Did they have the money?
“They’ve come to the realisation too late in their planning they’ve bitten off more than they can chew and they’re now trying to shift the blame, manufacturing an excuse the weekly largely peaceful protests in Melbourne against Israel’s bombing campaign of Gaza, and then the fire attack of the Adass Synagogue have led to police warning them not to proceed.
“We all know that’s a lie.
“The police have clearly said they simply provided feedback about current protest activity and did not make any predictions or speculate about what the protest temperature might be in April 2025,” he added.
Another longtime ice hockey organiser speculated IHA had withdrawn because it had neither the funds for the security required, nor the support of an estimated 100-150 volunteers required for a major event such as a world championship – an event which offers teams the chance for promotion to higher divisions, ultimately leading to Olympic eligibility.
A Victoria Police member familiar with its major events operations said police operational support and venue security for the September Land Forces Expo in Melbourne, an event that attracted daily protests including protestors punching horses, and hurling projectiles at police, cost the Victorian Government hundreds of thousands of dollars in extra wages, including support from NSW Police.
Police violence at Land Forces, extreme media distortions, a shame on Victoria
Aside from the thousands of dollars wasted on travel to Europe by the IHA bid team, the secondment of venue staff to the organising committee, and the additional costs now required to be paid by national team players traveling to a new venue – likely in Europe or the United Arab Emirates – there is a possibility the international federation will sanction Australia for withdrawing so late.
No update on synagogue firebomb
Meanwhile the investigation into the synagogue fire continues to be investigated by the Joint Counter Terrorism Team.
“At this stage there’s no further update and the investigation remains ongoing,” a Victoria Police spokesperson said.
The Australian Federal Police, which stood up a special operation – Avalite – to investigate anti-Semitism, echoed the Victorian response.
“The AFP has no update at this stage and further comment will be made at an appropriate time,” a spokesperson said.
Interestingly, the cancellation of the world ice hockey championships is part of a very small collection of Australian events ditched since the October 7 attacks: the Palestine Film Festival was cancelled; an Australian business delegation cancelled its conference (in Israel); and Myer cancelled the unveiling event of its Christmas window displays in November.
Questions were put to Ice Hockey Australia and the International Ice Hockey Federation, but neither have responded before deadline.
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The text of the confidential eMail sent by Ryan O’Handley below. Optional extra/attachment to which you might want to link.
“Subject: STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL – Update on Hosting World Men’s Championship in Melbourne
30 Dec 2024
Hello everyone,
Earlier today, correspondence was sent to the IIHF Council stating that we will be unable to host the 2025 WM Div II World Championships due to safety and security concerns associated with Israel as a participant. As you are all well aware, anti-Israel protests and activities have escalated significantly since we were awarded with the Championship and there are now significant concerns regarding safety and security of the event. In mid-October, Victoria Police advised us that there was a high chance of an incident occurring during the Championship due to the escalating anti-Israel sentiment in Melbourne. By the end of October, the venue and the District Docklands precinct also expressed their concerns to us regarding the safety and security of the event. This prompted us to begin correspondence with the IIHF regarding these concerns and the escalating anti-Israel activities in Melbourne. Then, as you are all likely aware, there was an arson attack on a Synagogue in Melbourne on December 6th. Subsequent discussions with the venue and precinct occurred, along with a thorough risk assessment and consideration of all of our options. It was concluded just prior to Christmas that we could not host due to significant safety and security risks associated with Israel’s participation. I want to emphasize that this decision is not politically motivated. We have a good relationship with the Israel Ice Hockey Federation and have participated with them in many IIHF divisions without any issues. Our decision is based entirely on the fact that the safety and security of participants, the venue and precinct staff, and the general public cannot be assured to a reasonable level due to the current environment in Melbourne. The IIHF Council will meet December 29th and determine how to proceed. In my discussions with them so far, they have been very appreciative that we have brought the issues to them promptly and very supportive of the situation. It is my understanding that they will offer the hosting rights to another country in our division in the first instance and they have not suggested we will be sanctioned in any way. Our organizing committee has been working extremely hard and we were all excited to be hosting for the first time since 2011. However, the safety and security of our athletes, volunteers and hosting partners is our primary concern. As always, feel free to contact me directly if you have any questions or concerns. Please keep this information confidential until the IIHF makes a decision and we can issue a public statement.
Best regards,
Ryan
Ryan O’Handley
President / Director
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Sandi Logan was a journalist from 1974-1984 (Fairfax, Toronto Sun, ABC-TV & Radio); a DFAT diplomat from 1984-2002, serving in Port Moresby (1988-90), Bonn (1993-96) and Washington DC (1998-2002); a media adviser to federal Liberal and Labor ministers; a communications executive and spokesman for the AFP and the Department of Immigration; and most recently an author of the non-fiction book BETRAYED (Hachette). Originally from Canada, he has also played ice hockey for more than 60 years.