“I don’t understand how the admission of NHL players to the Olympics affects the admission of the Russian national team. The floor belongs to the IOC and the federations” – Fetisov

Double Olympic hockey champion Vyacheslav Fetisov told that he did not understand how the decision regarding the participation of NHL hockey players in the Olympics would affect the admission of Russian athletes.

The National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) and the International Hockey Federation (IIHF) announced Friday that NHL players will participate in the 2026 and 2030 Olympic Games.

— The Olympic Games are one of the most beautiful and attractive competitions. Of course, interest in hockey in other countries will increase, that’s the most important thing. There is an opportunity to introduce the game to an audience that doesn’t follow hockey. It’s the right decision. But I don’t understand how this can affect the admission of the Russian team. This decision will be made by other authorities – the federations and the IOC. The floor is theirs,” Fetisov told .

The 2026 Winter Olympic Games will be held from February 6 to 22, 2026 in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo (Italy). The last time NHL players competed on the Olympic arena was at the 2014 Sochi Games. Previously, NHL players also competed at the 1998 Olympic Games in Nagano (Japan), 2002 in Salt Lake City (United States), 2006 in Turin (Italy) and 2010 in Vancouver (Canada).

By decision of the IIHF, the Russian team was suspended from participation in competitions under the auspices of the organization. The head of the body, Luc Tardif, indicated that the decision to extend or cancel the disqualification will be made in mid-February 2024. The current Olympic champion is the Finnish team, which beat the Russian team in the final of the hockey tournament of the 2022 Games. The Russians are 2018 Olympic champions.