The national teams from Russia and Belarus are not allowed to participate in official tournaments of the Ice Hockey World Federation (IIHF) again in the 2023/2024 season. The IIHF announced this after its Council meeting on Wednesday and officially justified it with security concerns.
The reference to the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine was not mentioned in this context. However, both nations were initially excluded for this reason last year.
Decision on Olympia 2026 in one year
“The risk for everyone involved would simply be too great,” said IIHF President Luc Tardif afterwards. “We will reassess the situation in March 2024.” Then there is also the question of qualifying for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan.
Frenchman Tardif, who was born in Canada, is currently viewed as an opponent of the rapid reintegration of Russia and its ally Belarus. However, the Scandinavian associations in particular have been putting pressure on recently. It was heard that if Russia and Belarus were reintegrated, they would have boycotted the upcoming World Cup tournaments.
This year’s world championships in May in Finland and Latvia should actually have taken place in St. Petersburg. The IIHF withdrew the tournament from Russia after attacking Ukraine just over a year ago. The 2024 World Cup will take place in Prague and Ostrava – even then without Russia and Belarus.
