“I can publicly announce that the exclusion of Russia and Belarus from all hockey events at the international level also applies next year. We have to wait for the further development of the situation, but we had to reach a clear conclusion towards next season, “said the Frenchman, who has been leading the International Hockey Federation since September.
“Congress has clearly sanctioned the IIHF Council’s proposal that the suspension of Russian and Belarusian teams also applies to the 2022/23 season. It is a loss both in marketing and hockey, but we must keep in mind the safety of all actors and the reality of events in the world, so I really can not imagine that some Russian or Belarusian team would play somewhere abroad, “added IIHF Vice President Petr Bříza. the congress will have to reflect further developments that go towards isolating the countries involved in the military aggression.
“We are being sued by the Russians and they call the measures discriminatory against each other, so we must be prepared to succeed with all the courts and have all the steps legally based,” says Bříza.
“I remember Luke Tardif and I drinking champagne on February 22 that we somehow managed the Olympics, that we managed to get back on the calendar postponed or canceled due to the covid. We both thought there would be a calmer time and suddenly the war and all the problems around Russia came. But there is no other solution than confirmed here in Tampere, but the situation does not even exist, “says Bříza.
Tardif then admitted that there would be a great dilemma as to where the two countries with a great hockey tradition would be placed on their return. Whether Russia and Belarus increase the number of participants in the elite championship to eighteen or include them in Division 1A to win the promotion.
“Following the exclusion of the Russians and Belarusians, we had to adjust the structure of all championships and only in the future will we address what their comeback may look like,” said Bříza.
Slovenia and Hungary advanced to the next World Cup. In a year’s time, the United Kingdom, Italy, Lithuania, Korea, Poland and Romania will play in Division 1A in Nottingham. During the evaluation of this year’s World Cup in Finland, the top officials jointly expressed the joy that the hockey community is experiencing a normal championship with fans in the auditorium and in the fan zones after three years. “The right spectator atmosphere has returned to a country where people love hockey,” Bříza said.
