Athletistic / Hockey. Olympic champion and two-time world hockey champion Ilya Kovalchuk said that the possible absence of the Russian team at the 2026 Olympics in Italy is absurd. On September 10, NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly expressed the opinion that the Russians would not be allowed to participate in the 2026 Olympics.
“Why pay attention to such statements and assumptions? It is clear that Daly is a respected guy, he is the vice-president of the NHL, but the decision will be made by completely different people. God forbid that we perform at the Olympics in “It is absurd that all the strongest are there, but not the Russian national team,” Kovalchuk was quoted as saying by TASS.
- The tournament is not for the strongest. They are trying to deprive Russian hockey players of the 2026 Olympics
The Olympic Games will be held from 6 to 22 February 2026 in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo (Italy). The Russian national team has not been able to participate in tournaments under the auspices of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) for more than two years.
It is worth noting that Ilya Kovalchuk was the general manager of the Russian national hockey team at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing (China). There, the Russians won silver medals.
Source: Sport
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