Fasel unopposed for IIHF president 01/05/2008 00:00

Rene Fasel is unopposed for re-election as president of the International Ice Hockey Federation after his only challenger withdrew from the race.

ZURICH, Switzerland - Rene Fasel is unopposed for re-election as president of the International Ice Hockey Federation after his only challenger withdrew from the race.

The IIHF said that federation vice president Kalervo Kummola of Finland would not run against Fasel at the organization's congress in Montreal on May 21.

Kummola previously said he was asked to run by several national federations but would step aside if he had productive talks with Fasel, a Swiss who has been IIHF president since 1994.

''After lengthy discussions with Rene, we agreed that the federation will be better off with us two working together to develop international ice hockey rather than creating a confrontation and a potential rift in our hockey family,'' Kummola said.

''We will look seriously to the concerns presented by some member federations with full transparency,'' said Fasel, a member of the International Olympic Committee and head of the panel coordinating the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver.