Athletistic/Hockey. Olympic speed skating champion and now deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation Svetlana Zhurova said that the Olympics without the Russian national hockey team would be a backyard competition.
“Without Russia, the Olympic hockey tournament would just be an underground competition that no one would watch.
How can we imagine figure skating, gymnastics, synchronized swimming without the Russians? It all simply loses its meaning. The level drops noticeably, it won’t be interesting to watch,” Zhurova said, as quoted by RIA Novosti Sport.
The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) has provisionally included the Russian national team among the participants in the group stage of the 2026 Olympic Games in Italy. If the Russians are admitted to the tournament, they will play in Group C, where their opponent will certainly be the American team. The IIHF will make a decision on the participation of the Russian and Belarusian national teams in the 2026 Olympic Games no later than March next year.
Source: Sport
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