The French team will participate in the group stage of the men’s hockey tournament at the 2026 Olympic Games in Italy if the Russian team is not admitted, according to the website of the International Hockey Federation (IIHF).
— Regarding Russian participation, the IIHF would like to remind that depending on the situation, the following options will apply:
— if Russia participates, the team will receive a place in the tournament according to the previously obtained ranking;
“If Russia is unable to participate, France will qualify for the Olympic Games as the second best team, based on the combined ranking of the three qualifying tournaments,” the statement said.
If the Russian team participates in the Olympics, it will play in a group with the teams of the United States, Slovakia and Latvia.
Earlier, IIHF President Luc Tardif confirmed to that France would be eligible to host the 2026 Olympics if Russia was not allowed to do so.
On Sunday, September 1, the Olympic qualifiers ended, the last tickets to the Games were won by the teams of Slovakia, Latvia and Denmark, who won the mini-tournaments. The French team took second place in one of the tournaments. If France is admitted to the 2026 Games, it will be in a group with the teams of Canada, Switzerland and the Czech Republic.
Previously, the Russians, by decision of the IIHF, missed the world championships in 2022, 2023 and 2024.
The next Winter Olympics will be held in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo from February 6 to 22, 2026.
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Source : MatchTV
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.
