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International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) President Luc Tardif has said players from Russia and Belarus would be permitted at IIHF competitions “when the war is over”, during a recent trip to Finland.
He added he will not let “political pressure” affect the decisions of the organisation over the inclusion of players.
Tardif’s visit was seen as significant in the ice hockey community, with Finnish politicians opposing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, suggesting the construction of a border wall between the countries and applying to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
Speaking to Finnish publication Ilta Sanomat in Helsinki, Tardif said it was not impossible to see a return from the countries during the war, but several complications would make this difficult.
“The return of Russia and Belarus to IIHF competitions would mean that the war is over,” he said to Ilta Sanomat.
“When the war is over, the discussions will definitely be different.
“I wouldn’t say impossible, but I don’t know how it would be possible.
“Travelling in the current situation is difficult.
“When the war is on, players from Russia and Belarus cannot travel.”
He also stressed morality would not be a factor in the decision-making process.
“As a person I have my own ideas about the situation, but as the IIHF President I have to make decisions from a different angle, but we don’t want to hide either.
“We always make decisions with the safety of the players first – including players from Russia and Belarus.
“We want to guarantee the safety of players, staff and the public.
“This is how we will operate in the future as well.
“We don’t let political pressure affect our decisions.
“We have to make decisions outside of moral issues.
“We organise hockey events, we don’t solve the world’s problems.”
Tardif admitted there has been pressure to readmit the countries, particularly Russia, who has been a men’s powerhouse on the ice for decades.
Russia, under the neutral Olympic Athletes from Russia moniker at Pyeongchang 2018, won the gold medal.
Previously as part of the Soviet Union, Russia won seven gold medals.
“We do not accept political pressure – political pressure, from whatever direction, is part of this.
“We will also face pressure from the IOC [International Olympic Committee].
“We have to make decisions regardless of the pressure and think about what is best for the sport.”
The IOC has suggested athletes from the countries could come back into international competition, with the organisation open to exploring pathways to allow this to happen.
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Michael Houston is a senior reporter at insidethegames.biz. He has worked at several major events, including the cycling at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. He also has experience working for the World Curling Federation and British Athletics.
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For nearly 15 years now, insidethegames.biz has been at the forefront of reporting fearlessly on what happens in the Olympic Movement. As the first website not to be placed behind a paywall, we have made news about the International Olympic Committee, the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Commonwealth Games and other major events more accessible than ever to everybody.
insidethegames.biz has established a global reputation for the excellence of its reporting and breadth of its coverage. For many of our readers from more than 200 countries and territories around the world the website is a vital part of their daily lives. The ping of our free daily email alert, sent every morning at 6.30am UK time 365 days a year, landing in their inbox, is as a familiar part of their day as their first cup of coffee.
Even during the worst times of the COVID-19 pandemic, insidethegames.biz maintained its high standard of reporting on all the news from around the globe on a daily basis. We were the first publication in the world to signal the threat that the Olympic Movement faced from the coronavirus and have provided unparalleled coverage of the pandemic since.
As the world begins to emerge from the COVID crisis, insidethegames.biz would like to invite you to help us on our journey by funding our independent journalism. Your vital support would mean we can continue to report so comprehensively on the Olympic Movement and the events that shape it. It would mean we can keep our website open for everyone. Last year, nearly 25 million people read insidethegames.biz, making us by far the biggest source of independent news on what is happening in world sport.
Every contribution, however big or small, will help maintain and improve our worldwide coverage in the year ahead. Our small and dedicated team were extremely busy last year covering the re-arranged Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo, an unprecedented logistical challenge that stretched our tight resources to the limit.
The remainder of 2022 is not going to be any less busy, or less challenging. We had the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in Beijing, where we sent a team of four reporters, and coming up are the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, the Summer World University and Asian Games in China, the World Games in Alabama and multiple World Championships. Plus, of course, there is the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Unlike many others, insidethegames.biz is available for everyone to read, regardless of what they can afford to pay. We do this because we believe that sport belongs to everybody, and everybody should be able to read information regardless of their financial situation. While others try to benefit financially from information, we are committed to sharing it with as many people as possible. The greater the number of people that can keep up to date with global events, and understand their impact, the more sport will be forced to be transparent.
Support insidethegames.biz for as little as £10 – it only takes a minute. If you can, please consider supporting us with a regular amount each month. Thank you.
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