Athletistic / Hockey. Famous Russian hockey coach Andrei Nazarov responded to the request of Sweden and Finland not to allow the Russian team to participate in the 2025 World Championship and the 2026 Olympic Games.
“The Swedes and Finns are against the return of the Russian national team to the international arena. You know, the stupidity and dishonesty of these countries has long been beyond doubt. Personally, they evoke an association with my grandfather , who practices Nordic walking and jumped onto a busy highway to try to stop a loaded car that was speeding.
Russia has already proven that all attempts to isolate it fail miserably. Russian President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin is undoubtedly the most popular and talked about person in the world, and his interview with American journalist Tucker Carlson has already been viewed a billion times in every language. The Russian economy is now the strongest in Europe. This is an indisputable fact, which our president also cited as an example. What does all this mean? No sanction has broken us.
In sports, we also play a leading role: on Sunday in St. Petersburg everyone admired the largest and best hockey palace in the world, where the KHL match was held for the first time , and it immediately sold out. Therefore, let all the haters and malicious critics bite their elbows and be nervous,” Nazarov said, as quoted by Championship.
In February 2022, the IIHF suspended all teams from Russia and Belarus from participation in international tournaments due to events in Ukraine. On March 22 last year, the organization extended the suspension for the entire 2023/2024 international season.
On January 1, 2024, Luc Tardif wanted the FHR to return to international competitions this calendar year. A decision on this will be made at the IIHF Council, which will take place this week.
Source: Sport
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.
