Pavel Bure, special representative of the Russian Hockey Federation (FHR) for international affairs, member of the board of directors of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), told that there would be no change regarding the status of Russian hockey before at least the spring of 2024.
The national teams of Russia and Belarus have not participated in IIHF international tournaments since spring 2022 due to the situation in Ukraine. In March, the federation extended the suspension of teams for the 2023/24 season. In April, the IIHF chief said he hoped for a quick return of Russian and Belarusian athletes to competitions under the organization’s auspices.
– On Friday, the congress of the International Ice Hockey Federation was held in Finland. You, as FHR Special Representative for International Affairs, IIHF Board Member, tell me – which way is the wind blowing?
— I worked at this online conference. So which way is the wind blowing? According to some reports, Russia will not participate in the next World Cup, which will be held in 2024. And at the next congress in a season, this decision will be reviewed again. IIHF President Luc Tardif said hockey should be out of politics. But it doesn’t always work. We will work further. But there will be no change until at least spring 2024. That is, we are missing the 2023-24 season. And we have to wait for the May IIHF Congress, which will be held in 2024, Bure told .
Source : MatchTV
I’m Emma Smith, a dedicated journalist and avid storyteller. I have been writing for news websites for the past 5 years, reporting on hockey news and delivering in-depth analysis of the sport. In my current role as Author at Athletistic, I write about hockey events from around the world to keep followers up-to-date with what’s happening in the sport.
