The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) has decided that the national and club teams of Russia and Belarus will not participate in the World Hockey Championship in the 2024/2025 season.
The IIHF stated that "it is not yet safe for teams to be re-entered into IIHF competition". The decision also disqualified the Belarus team from participating in the final Olympic qualification round in August 2024, the Independent reported.
Luc Tardiff, president of the IIHF, previously said the bans were "a matter of safety" for both hockey fans and teams.
The International Olympic Committee recently announced that Russian and Belarusian athletes will be allowed to compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics if they compete as neutrals.
In May 2025, a decision will be made as to whether Russian and Belarusian athletes can participate in the 2025/2026 IIHF season, which precedes the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy. Russia recently appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the highest judicial body instance in world sports to review the Olympic ban./BGNES
