Russia prohibited from ice hockey in upcoming 2026 Olympics
(MENAFN) Russian ice hockey teams will not be allowed to compete in the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy, according to International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) President Luc Tardif, who confirmed the decision to Russian news agency TASS on Monday. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is behind the ban, which was reported last week by ESPN as being final.
Tardif emphasized that the ruling on Russia’s participation in Olympic hockey comes directly from the IOC. The IIHF previously extended its suspension of both Russian and Belarusian teams for the 2025–2026 championship season, in alignment with broader IOC recommendations issued after the Ukraine conflict escalated in 2022.
Following the conflict, the IOC imposed wide-ranging restrictions on Russian and Belarusian athletes. While it later permitted some to compete under a neutral flag if they passed a vetting process ensuring they did not support the war, this does not apply to team events like ice hockey.
As ESPN noted, the IOC maintains its March 2023 stance: a team of "Individual Neutral Athletes" cannot be considered a true national team, which disqualifies Russia from team-based competitions like ice hockey.
In response, the Russian Olympic Committee has vowed to contest the decision, calling the IOC’s actions a distortion of the Olympic Charter, which mandates political neutrality in sport.
The 2026 Winter Olympics are scheduled to take place in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo in February.
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