Sweden will not boycott OI matches in case of the return of the Russian national hockey team

The Swedish national team will not boycott the matches of the World Championship and the Olympic Games in 2026 in case the Russian national hockey team returns to international tournaments. This was announced on January 31 by the chairman of the Swedish Hockey Association and IIHF board member Anders Larsson.

"I can only speak for hockey, and the position of Swedish hockey is unchanged, and it is important that we make our voice clear," the publication Sweden Herand quotes Larsson as saying.

He noted that the trend to return the Russians to international starts is obvious, and Swedish hockey players will not boycott competitions if the Russian national team will participate in tournaments.

The material also indicates that the question of admission of the Russian national team to participate in the Olympic Games in 2026 will be decided at the IIHF Council on February 2-4.

Earlier, in February 2024, the IIHF once again extended the suspension of the national teams of Russia and Belarus from international tournaments. In this regard, the 2024/25 season will be held without Russian and Belarusian teams. The Russian Ice Hockey Federation (FHR) called this decision discriminatory.

On February 28, 2022, the IIHF decided to suspend the national teams of Russia and Belarus from participation in international competitions for an indefinite period, which was extended in March 2023. The teams did not participate in international tournaments in 2022 and 2023.