Rene Fasel has claimed a decision has not yet been reached over the Under-18 World Championship ©Getty Images

International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) President Rene Fasel has claimed that no decision is currently being taken on whether the Under-18 World Championships will be held in Russia in 2018.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) asked International Olympic Winter Sports Federations to freeze their preparations for major events in Russia, such as World Championships, World Cups and other major international competitions under their responsibility, and to actively look for alternative organisers.

It followed detailed references to the manipulation of samples during the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Richard McLaren’s Independent Commission report into alleged state-sponsored doping.

The report showed the Sports Ministry "directed, controlled and oversaw" a "unique" method of sample manipulation at Sochi 2014, involving a sample-swapping method where they were able to open and reseal tamper-proof bottles.

Thirty sports are alleged to have been implicated in the swapping of samples to conceal positive tests, including summer ones.

Fasel, who was one of the members of the IOC Executive Board which opted not to introduce a blanket ban on Russian athletes for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games yesterday, has claimed no decision will be made yet on the Under-18 Ice Hockey World Championships.

The Under 18 World Championships are due to take place in Chelyabinsk and Magnitogorsk during 2018 ©Getty Images
The Under 18 World Championships are due to take place in Chelyabinsk and Magnitogorsk during 2018 ©Getty Images

“We need much more information based on facts and not only allegations," Fasel told the Russian news agency TASS.

"For the time being it is really too early to make any decisions.

“This is the general approach we have.

“For the time being there is no decision taken and we still have this World Championship Under-18 in Chelyabinsk.”

A figure skating Grand Prix in Moscow in November and a ski jumping World Cup in Nizhny Tagil in December are among the events set to be moved from Russia.

Others set to be affected by the IOC’s decision are this year's World Mixed Curling Championships in Kazan and the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) World Championships in Sochi next year.

In a statement sent to insidethegames on Tuesday, the World Curling Federation said it is "reviewing the McLaren Report, the statement from the International Olympic Committee and the implications for curling".

The governing body added: "We will consult further with the IOC and WADA [World Anti-Doping Agency] over the coming days to determine our next steps."