Ukraine Finishes Last in 2026 Olympic Qualification Stage 4
Assistant to the head coach Ukrainian national hockey team Oleg Shafarenko commented on the team’s performance at the final stage of qualification for the 2026 Olympic Games.
“I was pleased with the last period of the first game and the second match. In the third game, there was a very short period in the second period when we reduced the gap, but then we stopped playing. First of all, this is a very useful tournament for all the guys, because they saw this fast, compact game, how the players moved, what they do. They play in a way that our players don’t even have time to think.”
“If we want to avoid being relegated back to Division B in the spring, we need to improve our skills in clubs and try to play in the strongest teams. Playing in the Ukrainian championship, I think it is difficult to reach this level and play against such opponents.”
“We gathered all the best players that Ukraine has for this training camp. We will start a new cycle and try to find more guys who can strengthen our game.”
“Further preparation? I have an understanding as a club coach, but not as a national team coach. Because some players came to this tournament completely unprepared. We should not provide them with conditions in the national team to get into shape, they should come from the club prepared.”
The Ukrainian national team suffered a crushing defeat to Slovenia (2:6) in the final match of the 2026 Olympic qualifying tournament. The blue-and-yellows lost all three qualifying matches – earlier, Dmitry Khristich’s team lost to France (2:7) and Latvia (1:5). The ticket to the 2026 Games will be played between the leaders of the quartet, Latvia and France.
Let us recall that earlier Dmitry Khristich’s team won the world championship in division 1B. Ukraine rose to the second strongest division 1A.
Source: Sportarena
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.
