Hockey players from Russia and Belarus will not be allowed to compete in International Ice Hockey Federation until war in Ukraine ends
Russian and Belarusian hockey players will not be allowed to participate in international tournaments until the end of the war.
As Censor.NET informs, this was stated by the president of the International Hockey Federation, Luc Tardif, in a comment on ESPN.
"I hope that Russia and Belarus will come back as soon as possible, because that will mean that the war is over... It's a matter of safety for the fans, for our teams. In any case, no visa, no travel. And no one knows, how long will it last," he said.
The International Ice Hockey Federation suspended Russia and Belarus from its tournaments at the beginning of the Russian Federation's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The right to host the 2023 Men's World Cup was also taken away from St. Petersburg.
Also in March of this year, the federation extended the disqualification of Russians and Belarusians for the 2023/24 hockey season. A decision on the next season will be made in March 2024.
In fact, it may affect Belarus' participation in the 2026 Olympics. Since she was also deprived of rating points, but at the same time the Russian national team kept the points, despite the disqualification.
