Athletistic / Hockey. Slovak national team and Cherepovets Severstal forward Adam Liszka believes that without Russia, the level of the hockey tournament at the 2026 Olympics will be lower than usual. Earlier it became known that if the Russians were admitted to the 2024 Olympics, the Russian and Slovak national teams would play in the same group.
“Honestly, I am not ready to choose opponents for the group stage of the 2026 Olympics. Slovakia is happy that we made it, and for every hockey player, participating in the Olympics is a dream. against the best hockey players in the world.
“It seems to me that Russia can put together a good team with excellent players from the NHL and KHL. And the level of the Olympic tournament, of course, could be lower without one of the strongest teams,” Lishki was quoted as saying by TASS.
The Winter Olympic Games will be held from 6 to 22 February 2026 in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo. Since March 2022, the Russian national team has been deprived of the opportunity to participate in tournaments under the auspices of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). The question of Russia’s participation in the 2026 Olympic Games will be decided by the IIHF Council in February-March 2025.
Source: Sport
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