The Russian Ice Hockey Federation reported on the unwillingness of IIHF members to admit the Russian Federation

At previous meetings of the Council of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) on the issue of admission of Russians, only one person voted in favor. This was announced on May 20 by Dmitry Kurbatov, General Director of the Russian Ice Hockey Federation.

"Unfortunately, it so happened that in fact he (IIHF President Luc Tardiff — Ed.) has more influence than he should, and we don't like it. All decisions on our removal at the IIHF were made collectively and only one member of the board voted for us," Kurbatov told TASS.

The head of the Russian Ice Hockey Federation added that decisions in these votes are often more "collegial," but the influence of the current president on some council members who are sensitive to the success of a Special military operation is palpable.

Snow admission: when will Russia return to the international winter sports competitions

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On May 19, Kurbatov announced that the Russian Ice Hockey Federation (RIHF) had filed an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against the IIHF's decision not to allow Russian national teams to participate in international competitions. He also noted that the RIHF is separately challenging the IIHF's decision not to allow Russian hockey players to participate in international youth tournaments. In December 2025, the International Olympic Committee recommended that Russian athletes be allowed to compete in youth competitions with a flag and anthem, but the IIHF decided in January not to follow these recommendations.

On February 10, Chairman of the Russian Olympic Committee Mikhail Degtyarev called the head of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Luc Tardif a "rare scoundrel." Degtyarev described the IIHF as the most difficult federation and added that the transfer of a place at the Olympics to France hints at a conflict of interest due to Tardif's citizenship.