Fasel and IIHF secretary general Horst Lichtner had been due to meet Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko on December 8 to discuss concerns surrounding the country's co-hosting of the 2021 IIHF World Championship, amid the Belarus Government's heavy-handed crackdown on protestors against his regime.

However, both returned positive COVID-19 tests and the meeting could not go ahead.

The positive test meant that Fasel also could not attend the Channel One Cup event in Moscow.

However, he now believes he is close to a full recovery, as reported by Russian state news agency TASS.

"I feel good, but I still stay at home," said Fasel.

"I can't run the New York Marathon now, but I'm 95 per cent healthy."

Now 70-years-old, Fasel has been the IIHF President since 1994, but stated he would not run for President of the organisation in 2021.

He faces the key issue of the World Championship, which Belarus is due to co-host with Latvia.

A number of voices have called for Belarus to be stripped of holding the tournament.

Lukashenko, whose re-election as President this year has been described as "neither free or fair" also leads the country's National Olympic Committee.

He is among three senior officials to be banned from attending next year's postponed Olympic Games in Tokyo. 

The International Olympic Committee has implemented a series of provisional measures after it was found the officials "had not appropriately protected the Belarusian athletes from political discrimination within the NOC, their member sports federations or the sports movement".

Recently, several players preparing for the IIHF Men's World Junior Championship have tested positive including athletes from Germany, Austria and hosts Canada.

Edmonton is set to hold the Championship from December 25 to January 5.