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Russian ice hockey team may share same group with US at 2026 Olympics in Italy

The remaining two teams will be determined later after qualifying

MOSCOW, October 31. /TASS/. Russia’s national ice hockey team will share the same group with the United States at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Italy if Russia is cleared to participate in the event, the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) said in a statement on Tuesday.

According to the IIHF’s published chart of teams for the group stage competitions at the 2026 Olympics, Russia and the United States were placed in Group C, and the remaining two teams will be determined later after qualifying.

Group A consists of Canada, Sweden, Switzerland and Olympic host Italy. Group B currently lists Finland, Germany, the Czech Republic and the final entrant to this group will be announced following qualifiers.

Reached by a TASS correspondent later in the day and asked when a decision on Russia’s ice hockey reinstatement could be expected, IIHF President Luc Tardiff replied that a decision should be made before March 2024.

"At the moment they [the Russian team] are not in the Olympic Games. It will depend on what the IIHF decides next. Anytime, but not later than March 2024," the IIHF chief said.

In spring of this year, the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) ruled to indefinitely extend the suspension of national ice hockey teams and clubs representing Russia and Belarus from international tournaments.

Worldwide sanctions against Russian, Belarusian ice hockey

The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Congress, hosted by Finland’s Tampere on May 27, 2022, voted to exclude the national teams of Russia and Belarus from the 2023 World Championship, and the two teams were likewise sidelined at the 2022 Ice Hockey World Championship, due to the developments in Ukraine.

On February 28, 2022, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) issued recommendations to international sports federations to bar athletes from Russia and Belarus from taking part in international tournaments, citing the special military operation in Ukraine.

Following the IOC’s recommendations in late February 2022, the majority of global sports federations decided to bar athletes from Russia and Belarus from all international sports tournaments.

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