MOSCOW, February 6. /TASS/. A decision on whether Russia’s national ice hockey team will be allowed to take part in the 2026 Winter Games can be expected after the election of the new president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) this spring, Russian hockey legend and a member of the IIHF Council Pavel Bure told TASS on Thursday.

The Council of the International Ice Hockey Federation’s (IIHF) voted during its session on February 4 to exclude Russia from the 2026 IIHF World Championship. A decision regarding Russia’s participation in next year’s Olympics has yet to be made.

"We spoke briefly about the Olympics [during the session] and IIHF President Luc Tardif made it clear from the very beginning that the IIHF has no bearing on this decision. The final call on the issue will be made by the IOC Committee," Bure, who also serves as the Russian Hockey Federation’s (RHF) envoy on international affairs, said in an interview with TASS.

The 2026 Winter Olympic Games will be held in Italy, in the cities of Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo. The event will take place from February 6-22, 2026.

"He [Tardif] explained that this issue was not in their [IIHF] purview. Meanwhile, the IOC will elect a new president in March and, I believe, after this election a decision will be made," the Russian ice hockey official added.

Seven candidates will be up for president of the IOC at the organization’s 144th session in Greece between March 18 and 21.

In February 2022, the IIHF suspended Russia and Belarus from participation in international competitions. The national teams have already missed out on three world championships and will be barred from the 2025 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship as well.

In late March 2023, the IOC recommended permit individual athletes from Russia and Belarus to take part in international sports tournaments, but only under certain conditions. Specifically, athletes from the two countries must compete under a neutral status. Russia and Belarus were also banned from participating in international team events.

Switzerland will host the 2026 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship on May 15-31.

IOC sanctions against Russia, Belarus

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 Moscow’s special military operation in Ukraine as the reason.

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.

In late March, 2023, the IOC recommended to permit individual athletes from Russia and Belarus to take part in international sports tournaments, but only under certain conditions. Specifically, athletes from the two countries should not be "actively supporting" Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine and must compete under a neutral status. Russia and Belarus were also banned from participating in international team events.

On October 12, 2023, the IOC suspended the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) until further notice after the Russian organization included the Olympic councils of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics (DPR and LPR), the Zaporozhye and Kherson Regions as its members.