Bb.lv has already reported that voices are being raised about the possible return of Russia and Belarus to the World Championship next year and participation in competitions with national symbols.
However, as stated in an interview with Latvian Radio by Viesturs Koziols, a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Council, the two aggressor countries will at least not be able to participate in the 2027 World Championship. The hockey official described Russia's statements about the possibility of a quick return as propaganda.
Rumors are circulating in the public sphere that the IIHF Council has decided to lift the ban on the participation of the aggressor countries Belarus and Russia in the World Championship. In reality, this is completely untrue.
Back in January, the IIHF clearly stated that the aggressor countries Russia and Belarus would not participate in the 2027 World Championship for security reasons. Belarus appealed this decision to the IIHF Disciplinary Committee, which indeed ruled in its favor on May 25.
Specifically, the Belarusian youth and women's senior national teams are allowed to participate in IIHF competitions starting in 2027. Thus, the decision does not concern the men's senior national team, but rather Belarus's participation in the U-18 World Championship, where players from the Latvian national team will also compete. The IIHF decision was also promoted by the American hockey organization USA Hockey, which stated that it could ensure safe conditions for young hockey players at the World Championship.
For its part, Russia missed the deadline for filing an appeal, so it attempted to overturn the IIHF decision regarding Belarus in its favor. It managed to sow confusion, but that was all.
Russia and Belarus will not be able to return to international hockey tournaments at the senior level in 2027. The IIHF Council was invited to reconsider the participation of Russian teams in tournaments, but this will certainly not happen quickly, emphasized Viesturs Koziols. "This process will take a month, two, three, four months. Next year we will consider each championship separately, and I think the next decision of the IIHF Council will not be made in a month or two," said Viesturs Koziols. "What the Russians are writing is fake news. They took news from Belarusian media and applied it to themselves, which is not true. This is part of the propaganda."
Russian teams have been banned from participating in international hockey competitions since February 2022, when the aggressor state unleashed a full-scale war in Ukraine. Since then, teams from aggressor states have missed five consecutive World Championships and the 2026 Olympic Games in Milan and Cortina.
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