A decision on the hosting of the IIHF World Championships is likely to be made "in the next few days" according to IIHF President Rene Fasel ©Getty Images

A decision on the hosting of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Championships is "likely to be made" in the next few days, according to the organisation’s President Rene Fasel.

The IIHF was scheduled to hold a Council meeting on Monday January 25, but this has now been brought forward by a week to tomorrow, with the intention of making a decision in the next few days.

"We will have the council meeting on Monday January 18," said Fasel, as reported by TASS, Russia’s official state news agency.

"Then we will decide, so it can [be either] we take one or two days more, but we can also make the decision on Monday," Fasel said.

"Due to the situation we have now, we already actually decided two days ago to have a Council meeting as a video conference and then we will see.

"If we can put all things together, we will do on Monday, but maybe we can do so on Wednesday, but for sure, I think, at the end of the week we will have it {the decision}."

A recent meeting between Fasel (right) and Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko attracted criticism for its nature, although Fasel insisted it was held
A recent meeting between Fasel (right) and Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko attracted criticism for its nature, although Fasel insisted it was held "with a serious tone" ©Getty Images

There have been widespread calls for the IIHF to strip Belarus of the right to co-host the tournament - following the disputed re-election of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who also leads the country’s National Olympic Committee, and the subsequent protests that have resulted.

Slovakia and the Czech Republic have both offered to co-host the event alongside Latvia, while Latvia have also offered to host the event on their own.

Russia had offered to step in as a replacement for Belarus but the country is barred from being awarded or hosting major events until December 2022 under the series of sanctions imposed on the nation by the World Anti-Doping Agency as punishment for the manipulation of the Moscow Laboratory data.

Fasel met in person with Lukashenko on January 11 and said "the meeting was taken in a serious tone and with the IIHF bringing specific and difficult questions to the table."

The trip attracted criticism after Fasel was filmed warmly embracing Lukashenko and later in the visit was pictured with Belarusian Ice Hockey Association President Dmitry Baskov, who is being investigated by the IIHF for his role in the alleged murder of Raman Bandarenka, who died in hospital after he was injured during a peaceful protest in Belarus in November.