The International Federation made a decision that finally took away the Belarusians’ chance to compete in the Olympics.
Revenge for aggression against Ukraine. The Belarusian national hockey team will definitely not be at the 2026 Olympic Games. This came to light after the IIHF extended the disqualification for aggressor nations.
The International Ice Hockey Federation has suspended Russia and Belarus until the end of the 2024/25 season. So, both teams will not face the 2024 World Cup. In addition, Belarus is also disqualified from qualifying for the 2026 Olympics.
The IIHF Council assessed the current security risks associated with the reintegration of the national and club teams of Russia and Belarus in international competitions.
Based on careful analysis, the IIHF Council has concluded that it is not yet safe for the Russian and Belarusian teams to return to IIHF competition.
Therefore, Russia and Belarus will not participate in the 2024/25 IIHF Championship season. This decision will also apply to the Belarus team for the final Olympic qualifying round, which will take place in August 2024.
The IIHF Council will continue to monitor the situation. “Whether it will be safe for Russia and Belarus to be included in the 2025/26 World Championship season will be determined in May 2025 at a meeting of the IIHF Council on the eve of the IIHF Annual Congress,” the statement said.
We remind you that Belarus should be one of Ukraine’s rivals in the next qualifying round, along with Kazakhstan and Slovakia.
Now the teams can play in a group of three, or the Belarusians can be replaced by Hungary, which is the highest-rated team among the teams that have already dropped out of the qualifiers.
We remind you that Ukraine is confident having won its pre-qualification tournament for the Olympics.
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Source: korrespondent
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.
