Zakharova called the IIHF's decision not to allow Russia to qualify for the 2026 World Cup discriminatory.
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- Zakharova called the IIHF's decision not to allow Russia to qualify for the 2026 World Cup discriminatory.
The decision of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) to suspend the Russian national team from the 2026 World Championship is discriminatory and politicized. This statement was made by the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova on February 6.
"The IIHF has once again made a politicized and discriminatory decision to suspend the Russian national team from the 2026 World Hockey Championship," she said at a briefing.
According to Zakharova, the non-admission of Russian hockey players is an attempt to get rid of pure competition and deprive spectators of enjoying the beautiful game of one of the best teams on the planet.
Commenting on the IIHF's argument about its inability to guarantee security in case of the Russian national team's participation in the tournament, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry recommended not to hold the championship.
The IIHF Executive Committee decided not to allow the Russian national team to participate in the 2026 World Championship on February 4. The press service of the Russian Ice Hockey Federation (FHR) said it was going to challenge the IIHF verdict in court.
On Wednesday, February 5, ESPN TV channel reported that several heads of clubs in the National Hockey League (NHL) expressed hope for admission of the Russian national team to the World Youth Championship. It was noted that NHL teams have had few opportunities to watch Russian players live since 2022.
IIHF board member Anders Larsson said on January 31 that 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.
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