MP Svischev called Trump's words about Ovechkin "a signal to the IIHF"
First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Physical Culture and Sports Dmitry Svishchev said on Wednesday, January 22, that U.S. President Donald Trump's words about hockey player Alexander Ovechkin could be a "signal" in the issue of admitting Russian athletes to the 2026 Winter Olympics.
The politician mentioned Ovechkin on the eve of his inauguration, January 19, when he spoke at a rally held at the Capital One Arena in Washington, DC. He said the Russian is "very good and doing a great job."
"I don't have a lot of faith in it yet, although we are seeing positive progress". And Donald Trump has spoken out about Alexander Ovechkin, and FIS President Johan Eliasz says that it is necessary to allow Russians in winter disciplines. That is, the "winter athletes" have started to move in preparation for the Olympic Games. That is, something may come out," Svishchev said in a conversation with RIA Novosti.
The national team can also be assembled for the World Cup, but still the Olympics is a key tournament, where the most interest will be just for hockey matches, the deputy added.
Trump on January 19 also thanked the owners of Capital One Arena and noted that the Russian hockey player's HC is in a great position. As Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov pointed out on January 20, the Russian captain of the Washington Capitals team is perceived in the United States as a great hockey player of American hockey. However, this has nothing to do with domestic audiences.
Before that, on January 17, Ovechkin reduced the gap from the record of Canadian Uyen Gretzky to 20 goals, scoring the puck in overtime of the regular season NHL match against the Ottawa Senators. The hockey player's puck became the only one for the entire game and helped Washington win.
