President of the Belarusian Hockey Federation Alexander Bogdanovich commented on the national team’s withdrawal from qualifying for the 2026 Olympic Games in Italy.
The International Hockey Federation (IIHF) previously extended the suspension of Belarusians and Russians from competitions under its auspices until the end of the 2024/25 season. Thus, the Belarusian team will not be able to advance to the final round of Olympic qualifying, which will take place in August 2024.
“Unfortunately, the extension of the ban on our teams in competitions organized under the auspices of the IIHF shows that decisions always have political overtones. Hockey officials attempt to appear independent, making decisions based solely on considerations related to the development of the sport. However, such measures destroy the reputation of the IIHF as a wealthy organization, capable of acting independently in the interests of hockey, and not the leaders of certain countries.
The suspension of our national team from competition next season deprives us of the opportunity to compete for qualification for the 2026 Olympic Games. For any athlete, the Olympic Games are the most important start of their career. Someone is lucky enough to compete in the Games, let alone win an Olympic medal, once in their life. It is sad that due to politically biased decisions, one of the best generations of Belarusian hockey players will not have the opportunity to participate in the main tournament on the fourth anniversary,” Bogdanovich said as quoted by “Championship”.
Russian national teams And Belarus Hockey as well as national clubs have been suspended from participating in international tournaments since February 2022.
Championship
Source : MatchTV
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