Lick Tardif | Photo: championat.com
National teams of Russia and Belarus also in 2022/2023. will not participate in the tournaments organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) in the season of 2018, reports journalist Chris Peters.
Luc Tardif: Russia and Belarus remain barred from competition for next season. They will update decisions on season by season basis. IIHF has also been working to support hockey players in Ukraine along with member nations and other partners.
— Chris Peters (@chrismpeters) August 20, 2022
The decision includes not only the disqualification of both of these countries, but also a ban on hosting any competitions, as well as a ban on other hockey teams from playing with this team. It is reported that the decision will be reviewed every season.
It was previously announced that after Russia’s attack on Ukraine on February 24, this country, as well as its ally Belarus, was excluded from the world of sports, including hockey. The teams of these countries did not participate in the world championships in any age group, and Russia was deprived of the right to host the U20 and adult WCs in 2023.
It has already been reported that next year the world championship, which was supposed to take place in St. Petersburg, will take place in Riga and Tampere – the cities that hosted it in 2021 and 2022, respectively. One group tournament and two quarter-finals will be held in the capital of Latvia, while Tampere will host one group tournament, two quarter-finals and medal matches.
