Great Britain U20 disqualified
The International Ice Hockey Federation has disqualified Great Britain’s U20 national team from the 2014 IIHF Ice Hockey U20 World Championship Division I Group B due to the use of an ineligible player.
Defenceman
Adam Jones played for Great Britain in the tournament held in Dumfries, Great Britain.
Following the tournament it was discovered that he has dual citizenship
(CAN/GBR) and was entered on the team despite not being eligible
according to the IIHF Statutes & Bylaws because he didn’t play long
enough in Great Britain after his 12th birthday.
To apply for
eligibility to represent a country, the responsible IIHF Member National
Association needs to declare among other information all citizenships
of its players when entering the team and submit an application with all
related evidence to the IIHF for players with multiple citizenships.
Ice Hockey UK failed to do both when entering the team for the 2014 IIHF
Ice Hockey U20 World Championship Division I Group B.
According to IIHF Bylaw 406.2 “the player and the Member National
Association registering a player for an IIHF championship, Olympic
competition or qualification to these competitions are at all times
fully responsible for the player’s eligibility with all the disciplinary
consequences for the Member National Association and the player.”
In accordance with IIHF Bylaw 406.2.2, Great Britain has therefore been
disqualified from the event and will be ranked in sixth place after
having originally finished in fifth place. Therefore Great Britain, in
place of Japan, will be relegated to the 2015 IIHF Ice Hockey World
Championship Division II Group A.
“This was an unfortunate but
genuine and honest mistake which was realised when the player was
selected to play for GB U18s,” Ice Hockey UK’s interim chairman Jim
Anderson said in a statement.
“In future IHUK will double its due
diligence on players who are chosen for GB squads.”
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