Double Olympic champion Alexander Kozhevnikov told that the management of the International Hockey Federation (IIHF) is promoting France instead Russian national team which they do not want to allow at the 2026 Olympics.
Earlier, the IIHF announced that 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.
— Russia will not participate in the Olympics until the IIHF leadership is replaced, because the scoundrels who promote Russophobia work there. Only the Slovaks have changed, and all sorts of Swedes and Finns, who received snot from the USSR and Russia, continue to lead the federation headed by this Frenchman. And now they do not allow Russia to participate in the Olympics, but encourage France to take our place, “Kozhevnikov told .
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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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.
