The head of the International Ice Hockey Federation says he would like Russia and Belarus to return to international competition “as soon as possible”.
The Russian and Belarusian national teams have been banned from competing since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
Speaking while attending the ice hockey at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, Luc Tardif said: “We want as soon as possible Belarus and the Russians back.”
Tardif, 72, who was elected president of the IIHF in 2021, added that he would like to see those nations back in the fold “because first it will mean that the World Championships will be a little bit better”.
His comments come on the same day that Ukraine’s Vladyslav Heraskevych was disqualified from racing in the men’s skeleton after refusing to stop wearing a helmet adorned with pictures of Ukrainian sportsmen and women killed since Russia invaded in 2022.
Leave a Reply