BRAMPTON, Ontario – – Russia and Belarus will not be permitted to contend in International Ice Hockey Federation competitions as long as the conflict in Ukraine proceeds, the gathering’s leader said Sunday.
With the two countries previously banned from contending in IIHF occasions through 2024, its leader, Luc Tardif, said a choice on the two nations’ qualification in 2025 will be made in Spring.
“”I hope Russia and Belarus will come back as soon as possible, because it will mean the war is over,” Tardif said during a news gathering hung on the last day of the ladies’ reality hockey titles being held in the Toronto rural areas.
“It’s a question of security for fans, our teams. Anyway, no visa, cannot travel,” Tardif added. ”
Russian people’s hockey players last contended under the Russian Olympic Board of trustees standard at the 2022 Beijing Games, which finished up presently before Russia attacked Ukraine. That prompted the IIHF banning Russia and partner Belarus from contest, and furthermore having Finland and Latvia have the men’s big showdowns being held one month from now, after the occasion was at first granted to St. Petersburg, Russia.
Should the IIHF broaden its boycott in Spring, the choice would influence Belarus’ qualification to contend in the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics since that nation’s groups would not be able to play in Olympic qualifying competitions in 2025. Russia’s people’s groups have kept up with their rankings while not being permitted to contend.
The International Olympic Committee is inclining in the direction of having Russian and Belarus competitors contend in the following year’s Paris Summer Games. Tardif said the IIHF isn’t heeding the IOC’s guidance since hockey is a group activity. Another issue is security worries after the IIHF last month refered to a gamble evaluation concentrate on it directed in deciding it isn’t protected to permit Russia and Belarus to contend.
The Russian Hockey League excused the IIHF’s security worries as a “imagined reason” to keep its groups out of contest.”I understand that sometimes there is a political approach,” Tardif said Sunday. “As a human being, I’ve got my own understanding of the situation. But with my IIHF cap, I have to take the decision following our executive and to protect our competition.”
