Out of the game: what is happening with the admission of our hockey players to the 2026 Olympics

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has hinted that the Russian national team will not be able to compete at the 2026 Olympics, which will be held in Italy. The statement says: the recommendation of March 2023 regarding the ban on the participation of athletes with Russian passports remains unchanged. Read more about the current situation in the Izvestia article.

Counter-statements

Previously, the head of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Luc Tardif said that the Russian national ice hockey team will not play at the tournament in Italy. Later, the Russian Hockey Federation (RIHF) advised not to rush things and assured that the ROC had not yet received any documents or recommendations on this issue. The IIHF responded by saying that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) would make the final decision.

— We made it clear that it was up to the IOC to notify the Russian Olympic Committee, and they did it. And we want the IOC to officially inform [about the non—admission of the Russian national team]," SVT Sport quotes Tardif as saying.

This week, Russian journalists contacted the IOC and received the following response.

"The recommendation of the IOC Executive Committee of March 2023 regarding teams of athletes with a Russian passport remains in force," Sport-Express quotes the IOC statement. — It is based on the fact that a group of individual neutral athletes, by definition, cannot be considered a team. We take note that the IIHF has confirmed that it will follow this recommendation.

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A disappointing conclusion can be drawn from these words: the Russian national ice hockey team will most likely not be allowed to compete. Perhaps the position will change in the future, but the chances are slim.

Two hours after the IOC's comment, the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) issued a statement in response.

"The suspension of the Russian hockey team from all international competitions began back in 2022 and has nothing to do legally with the decision of the International Olympic Committee to suspend the Russian Olympic Committee in 2023," the ROC noted. — In this regard, the ROC lawyers are currently working on options for challenging the actions, or rather, the inaction of the IOC, in international courts. Because the obstacles cited by the IOC have been eliminated and the organization has been officially notified about this. Our position is simple, there are no legal grounds for the suspension of the ROC, all rights of our National Olympic Committee should be restored, and Russian athletes should have the right to participate in all Olympic disciplines in which they are eligible to participate in accordance with sports selection principles, including the hockey tournament.

This statement gives a faint hope that the IOC's statement on the participation of the Russian hockey team is not final and something else can be changed in time.

Get back on track

Earlier in May, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova noted that the new IOC President Kirsty Coventry should play an important role in the future of the Olympic movement.

"The Olympic movement has no other options but to return to normal," Maria Zakharova stressed. — Not perverted, not "new", not hybrid ethics. If the Olympic movement does not return to its principles, it will cease to be an Olympic movement. That's the point. These are not requests from the Russian Federation, these are not individual views of States. These are the principles that are called the Olympic Principles. Why were they abandoned? It was necessary to rewire everything, destroy everything. However, it is unclear what they wanted to build. Look at how destructive gender anti-philosophy was introduced into sports. How did it end? One country, which was doing this more than others, suddenly stood up and said that it thinks differently. Applies the same force, but in a different direction. The principles of Olympism exist, they have been tested for centuries, recorded in documents of the 20th century, and applied in practice in the 21st century. Everything is written, here is a roadmap for you — how to preserve Olympism.

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A similar opinion was expressed by Dmitry Svishchev, deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, head of the Russian Curling Federation.

— Unfortunately, our fears have come true, but our hopes have been dashed. Of course, there were few chances for the hockey team to participate in the 2026 Games," Dmitry Svishchev told Izvestia. — The main hope now is the new president of the IOC. We hope that Coventry will start a fair policy and set a new era for the development of the Olympic Committee. To ensure that the policy is carried out only in the interests of sports.

Kirsty Coventry will officially assume the post of head of the IOC on June 24, when Thomas Bach's term of office ends. The 2026 Olympic Games will be held from February 6 to 22 in the Italian cities of Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo.