The participation of Russia and Belarus in international hockey competitions has been ruled out for the 2024-25 hockey calendar, the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) announced on Monday.
“Based on a thorough analysis, the IIHF Council concluded that it is not yet safe to reincorporate the Russian and Belarusian Teams back into IIHF Competitions,” said the IIHF in a statement.
It has been two years since the IIHF suspended all Russian and Belarusian national teams and clubs from participation in every age category and in all IIHF competitions due to the invasion and subsequent war in Ukraine.
Russian nationals continue to play in the NHL without sanction.
The decision by the IIHF also means that Belarus will be unable to participate in the Final Olympic Qualification Round that will be played in August, for the 2026 Games. Russia currently holds one of nine spots for the men’s tournament, but its participation remains to be confirmed.
Qualification for the women’s tournament is to be based on IIHF rankings following the world championship in Utica, N.Y., this April. The Russian women are currently ranked sixth in the world, but will not be able to participate in this event.
The IIHF set a deadline of May next year for its ruling council to decide if Russia and Belarus can return in time for the Olympics. The Russian men’s team took gold at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics and silver in 2022 in Beijing.
It was only announced on Feb. 2 that NHLers would participate in the Olympics for the first time since 2014. At the same time, the NHL and NHL Players’ Association announced a Four Nations event, involving the U.S., Canada, Sweden and Finland, which will take place in February of 2025. Normally, Russia would be a shoo-in to fill one of those four spots.
On Sunday, Ukraine’s men’s team completed a clean sweep of a tournament in Sosnowiec, Poland, earning it a spot in final round of qualifying for the 2026 Games in Milano Cortina, Italy. The last round will feature 12 teams competing for three spots and will take place at the end of August.
— With files from The Associated Press