March 18: The Russian Ice Hockey Federation is protesting the decision and released the following statement:
The actions of the RIHF are in accordance with the belief that the IIHF’s restrictive measures against Russian athletes are discriminatory.
Banning players from international competition based on nationality fuels intolerance in the media and could lead to divisions within the ice hockey community, which has always been known for its unity.
February 28: The IIHF has officially announced an indefinite suspension of the Russian and Belarusian national and club teams in response to the recent use of military force in Ukraine. Luc Tardif, president of the IIHF, released a statement:
The IIHF is not a political entity and cannot influence the decisions being taken over the war in Ukraine. We nevertheless have a duty of care to all of our members and participants and must therefore do all we can to ensure that we are able to operate our events in a safe environment for all teams taking part in the IIHF World Championship program.
We were incredibly shocked to see the images that have come out of Ukraine. I have been in close contact with members of the Ice Hockey Federation of Ukraine and we hope for all Ukrainians that this conflict can be resolved in a peaceful way and without the need for further violence.
Under current conditions, these actions would be taken:
- 2022 IIHF Continental Cup (4-6 March 2022) – Belarus club team HK Gomel would not participate
- 2022 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship (21 April-01 May 2022) – Russia and Belarus men’s U18 teams would not participate
- 2022 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship (13-29 May 2022) – ROC and Belarus men’s national teams would not participate
- 2022 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 Women’s World Championship (Dates TBB) – Russia women’s U18 national team would not participate
- 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship (Dates TBD) – Russia men’s U20 national teams would not participate
- 2022 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship (26 August-4 September 2022) – ROC women’s national team would not participate
The IIHF has also announced that they have withdrawn the 2023 World Junior Championship hosting rights from Russia. In the coming months, discussions will be held to find a new host.
They have also “not left out the possibility of further actions” though they hope for a “swift and peaceful resolution to the war.”
By by
Peace!
This is great, but where is all of this outrage when it comes to China? Money talks.
“Banning players from international competition based on nationality fuels intolerance in the media and could lead to divisions within the ice hockey community, which has always been known for its unity.”
This statement is 100% true but they are still wrong.
Ban Russia.
They cannot be allowed to have any chance at victory or “glory”. If that feels unjust to these Russian athletes, so be it. Having your maternity ward or apartment building bombed is also pretty darn unjust. They will live.
Since the Russian media is unlikely to start reporting the truth, everything that feels normal that can be taken away from the Russian people must be taken away until the lies can no longer be sold.
The lies are coming from all sides of this conflict. Case in point, yes, a maternity ward was hit with munitions, but it was also being used by Ukrainian fighters to fire on Russian units.
There is always a tendency to reduce every conflict as between good and bad, when in fact history shows us that both sides are often bad (e.g. Hitler and Stalin).
While I’m not against what the IIHF did here, it does raise a difficult question for how the NHL deals with Russian players. Do they have to denounce their home country in order to remain in the NHL? I hope it doesn’t come to that.
Are you seriously going to “both sides” this…? W in T actual F.
I’m sure you are getting your Putin talking points the same place you got your anti-vax BS but seriously…
“Them defending themselves from the invasion is just as bad as the invasion! That makes them bad, too.”
FFS.
Still on that “anti vax” team? Old news my friend. With everything that has come to light of that whole situation, choosing to still be willfully ignorant to the subject is entirely up to you
It figures you would jump right to the “you’re on team Putin” line of ignorance. Fact is, had we not installed a puppet government in Ukraine in 2014, this conflict wouldn’t even be happening.
Fact is, Ukraine is going to lose the donbass region just as they did Crimea, so the sooner they negotiate a resolution the less innocent Ukrainian lives will be lost. For all the talk by NATO nations, they’re not going to actively enter this war.
So, it’s their own fault for not just giving their land to a tyrant sooner…?
Kremlin talking points are as tasty as Ivermectin. FFS…
For anyone not aware, Russia is currently using a talking point invented out of whole cloth by US antivaxxers two weeks ago to help justify killing innocent people in Ukraine.
I guess in your mind, France installed a puppet government in the US in 1776? What utter indifference to both democracy and human life.
My God that is ignorant.
First off, you have been wrong about everything related to covid. That you’re still clinging on to the cult of corona is embarrassing. You need to do what Fauci is doing and just lay low for awhile.
As for Ukraine, how many tens of thousands of Ukrainians do you want to die fighting a proxy war for our state department? Without NATO countries sending in troops, this is like a bobcat trying to defeat a grizzly bear. And do you really want to start WWIII over this?
The longer we prolong this war, the more Ukrainians that will die and the same end result will be Eastern Ukraine becoming autonimous zones. And not to mention the massive humanitarian crises caused by surrounding nations being deluged with refugees that they can’t accomodate.
Try thinking things thru instead of having a knee jerk emotional response to it.
hunters laptop
“Swift and peaceful resolution to the war”. Right. I’m pretty sure that banning of athletes who have zero to do with any of this manufactured war will push that agenda forward.
What’s next? NHL players will have to denounce their homeland in order to play? The hypocrisy is incredible