National Hockey League (NHL) assistant commissioner Bill Daley said the league is closely monitoring the situation regarding the national team’s admission. Russia participate in international competitions organized under the auspices of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF).
The Russian team missed the last two World Championships by decision of the IIHF.
“Recently we had a meeting with the IIHF and the IOC where we talked about participating in the Olympic Games in 2026 and what the World Cup would look like on a regular basis.
We continue to face the short-term political realities of what role Russia can play, both in an international tournament that we can sponsor and in the Olympics. This still remains unknown.
This (the decision on the participation of Russia and Belarus in the Olympics) will be important information (for the NHL players’ union) as to how it will be done and how the hockey organizations will react to it. The IOC has made public statements that lead me to believe that they will try to include Russian athletes in some way. Let it be based on what has been done in the past when they competed without a flag, but competed nonetheless. I think that’s the model they will follow. Who knows how this will end.
The IIHF is organized differently, and they have the option not to make that decision, however, I believe the federation will accept what the IOC deems acceptable,” Daily said on the official NHL website.
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.
