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IIHF to consider Russian team participation in 2026 Olympics in February

"Every February and March we reconsider the situation about the geopolitics situation. That’s not a politics decision. It’s always for the security of our competitions and the security of our players, including Belarus and Russia," President of the Federation Luc Tardiff said

TASS, January 5. The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) will consider participation of the Russian national team in the 2026 Olympics this February, President of the Federation Luc Tardiff said, whose comment was posted by journalist Scott Wheeler on his page in the X social network.

"Every February and March we reconsider the situation about the geopolitics situation. That’s not a politics decision. It’s always for the security of our competitions and the security of our players, including Belarus and Russia," Tardiff said.

"So that will be the question to our board on February 12 and 13. Is it possible to bring Russia and Belarus to the world championships in Denmark and Sweden, next world championship? And at the same time, we will talk about the participation of Belarus and Russia for the Olympic Games in 2026. The decision will be taken on February 12 and 13 considering that," he added.

The Olympic Games will be held in Italy from February 6 to 22, 2026.