World Cup without Russia: discriminatory, they are afraid of us, writes the Russian Federation. We will win the Olympics, says Mikhailov

On Monday, the board of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) decided that neither Russia nor Belarus will continue to participate in international events in the 2024/2025 season. In the case of Belarus, this means checkmate with regard to Olympic qualification. The Russians, on the other hand, are biting hard not to participate in their fourth consecutive World Cup.

Russia and Belarus out of the World Cup

“Based on a thorough analysis, the IIHF Council has concluded that it is not yet safe to reinstate the Russian and Belarusian teams back into IIHF competitions,” reads an official statement from the International Ice Hockey Federation. In real terms, this means that both countries will not only not participate in this year’s World Cup in Prague and Ostrava. But also next year in Sweden.

Logically, this has caused another uproar at the Russian Ice Hockey Federation (RIHF). In an official statement, the RIHF writes of its disappointment and disagrees with the arguments put forward by the IIHF.

“While Russia and Belarus remain banned, national teams representing countries that are engaged in armed conflicts continue to participate in IIHF competitions. The RIHF considers the IIHF Council meeting, which was held without the participation of Russian representatives, to be discriminatory,” the Russians wrote in the official text.

On several occasions, the Russian Hockey Federation has said that the IIHF will not allow Russians to compete internationally in order to reduce competition for other participants. Russia used the same words this time.

So now Russia’s main focus is on 2026, when the Winter Olympics are due to be held in Italy in February. The NHL and the IIIHF said late last week that they had agreed to start players from the NHL. It will also be the first chance for many Russian hockey players to play in a best-of-best tournament.

Russians hope for the Olympics, Belarus is out of luck

“Let’s be patient and prepare all our hockey for 2026. I’m sure that by then the special military operation will be over, we will win. And they will treat us in a completely different way,” Sport.cz quoted Boris Mikhailov, a 69-year-old former Russian hockey player, as saying.

Former IIHF chief René Fasel also believes in the participation of Russian hockey players at the Olympics. And he told Russian media that he cannot imagine the tournament without the Russian national team. For example, he considers the confrontation between Canada and Russia to be the essence of the Olympic Games.

“Why can the Russians play in the NHL? And then why can’t they play in the Olympics like other NHL players? I really hope the players’ union will think about this and say that either everybody goes to Italy or nobody goes,” Fasel told Tass.

It is quite possible that the NHL itself will support the participation of Russian stars in the tournament under five rings. The next question is how the hockey associations on the European continent. Which are mostly unanimously of the opposite opinion, would react to this decision.

Finland and the Czech Republic, for example, have made clear their opposition to Russian aggression in Ukraine. The Czech Olympic Committee also declared some time ago that it was unequivocally opposed to the participation of Russia and Belarus in the Olympics. However, the President of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, said that he would like to see all the world’s athletes in Italy in 2026.

The option of Russians and Belarusians competing in the Olympics under a neutral flag is also constantly in play. What is certain is that Belarus will not participate in the hockey tournament. The ban for the 2024/2025 season automatically excludes them from Olympic qualification.

Source: IIHF, RIHF, Tass, sport.cz