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≡ RUSSIA ≡
France’s Luc Tardif, President of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), was asked about the future return of Russia and Belarus to international competition during a news conference before the medal matches of the 2025 men’s World Junior Championship in Ottawa (CAN).
He was clear on the circumstances:
“For us, we still want them back as soon as possible because if they are back, it will mean the war will be over.”
Russian and Belarusian teams have been excluded from international play since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February of 2022, following a recommendation from the International Olympic Committee.
While the IOC has relaxed its stance regarding individual athletes, allowing verified “neutrals” to complete, it has continued to ask that national teams not be allowed. And International Federations have maintained that stance regarding teams; some federations have allowed individual Russian entries on varying degrees of “neutrality.”
Tardif further explained, with specific reference to the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games:
“We won’t risk any competition or the players. That’s the most important for us. We have to see what happens in the next two months.
“We will wait as long as possible, but we must make a decision in February [2025] to give organizers the chance to make the game schedule, know who is coming to the Olympics, the promotion, and do all the planning.
“And the IOC will also have to make decisions. We will analyze everything next month, but the main issue is the security of the players. We won’t take any risks.”
Notably, Tardif’s February timetable does not account for any change in the IOC leadership, with elections coming in March and the new president taking office on 24 June 2025.
Russia last fielded a team in the 2021 IIHF men’s World Championship and last participated in a Winter Olympic Games in Beijing in 2022 as the “Russian Olympic Committee” due to sanctions related to the state-sponsored doping program from 2011-15.
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Russian Sports Minister and Russian Olympic Committee President Mikhail Degtyarev was more interested in the “want them back as soon as possible” part of Tardif’s comment than the “war will be over” element, saying:
“We are grateful to Luc Tardif for his frank position.
“The sanctions in sports against Russia were introduced under pressure, as a result of blackmail and unacceptable conditions of a number of countries in relation to federations and competition organizers, although even during the Cold War, the national teams of the USSR, Canada and the USA played hockey very well, bringing joy to fans and giving hope for a common peaceful future. Sports should unite, and not become a weapon of propaganda, and we call on sports authorities of all countries to pursue responsible policies.
“In addition, Russia has always been one of the world leaders in hockey. And the absence of our team at international tournaments makes these competitions noticeably poorer: less spectacular, less competitive. Therefore, the return of Russian hockey players is awaited by both the organizers and our rivals and, of course, spectators around the world. In the matter of normalizing world sports, returning to fair competition, we are all allies, not opponents.”
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The IIHF was deliriously happy with the men’s World Juniors, with exceptional attendance at the games, even those in which the Canadian team did not play.
The tournament was held at the 18,655-seat Canadian Tire Centre and 8,585-seat TD Place Arena in Ottawa, with the 29 games drawing 296.894 fans for an average of 10,238. The final between the U.S. and Finland drew 16.,822 on Sunday and the bronze-medal match between the Czech Republic and Sweden had 11,393!
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