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Russia to contest hockey team's Olympic ban

President of the International Ice Hockey Federation Luc Tardif said that the Russian national team would not be allowed to participate in the 2026 Olympics

MOSCOW, May 27. /TASS/. The Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) intends to challenge the decision to ban its national hockey team from taking part in the 2026 Olympic Games, it said.

President of the International Ice Hockey Federation Luc Tardif, in an interview with the Swedish TV channel SVT Sport, said that the Russian national team would not be allowed to participate in the 2026 Olympics. Tardif said that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) had notified the ROC about this.

"The suspension of the Russian hockey team from all international competitions began back in 2022 and is legally unrelated to the International Olympic Committee's 2023 ruling to suspend the ROC. Therefore, ROC’s legal team is currently exploring options to challenge the IOC’s actions — or rather, its inaction — in international courts, as the obstacles cited by the IOC have been removed, and the organization has been officially informed of this," the ROC press service said.

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