Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has said he will allow those who want to attend the International Ice-Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Championships to be held in Belarus in 2014 into the country without a visa, a spokesperson for the Belarusian president said.

“Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko signed an order on Monday that allows official participants of the 2014 Ice Hockey Championship and tourists to enter the country without visas for the period from April 25 to May 31 2014,” the spokesperson said.

He added that the official participants of the championship should be listed in the official accreditation system of the International Ice Hockey Federation. Foreign tourists should have original or electronic tickets for games. Besides, neither participants or foreign tourists will need medical insurance.

Belarus got 75 votes in the race to host the 2014 IIHF World Championship at the Annual Congress of the International Ice Hockey Federation in Bern.

The budget of the organizing committee is 11.4 million Euros.