The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) on Wednesday confirmed the absence of Russian and Belarusian teams from its competitions for the 2023-2024 season.
Due to the armed conflict in Ukraine, the organization considers the risks of these two countries participating to be too high.
“We had several conversations and reflections. You will not be surprised that the topic of the presence of these two nations was discussed the most. […] Following the tenor of the exchange, we have concluded that it is too early to reinstate them, President Luc Tardif confirmed to the IIHF’s website. We have asked our Coordinating Committee to work towards a proposal in March 2024 regarding the return of these countries to our events and the associated qualifications.
Russia and Belarus were declared persona non grata shortly after the invasion began in February 2022. They can no longer send their respective teams to or host IIHF competitions. This also took the World Junior Championships and the 2023 World Championships away from President Vladimir Putin’s country. Later last year, an independent Disciplinary Committee rejected an appeal from the national federations involved, who challenged the sanctions.