Ice hockey: IIHF wants Russia back

Hockey is one of those sports where the absence of Russia, which is waging a war of aggression in Ukraine, from international competitions is most evident.

The sport is relatively small at the top level and there are a limited number of competitive countries, so the absence of one big puck country can be seen in the level of competitions. However, the situation is still that Russia is at war in Ukraine, and there is no end in sight.

Canadian president of the IIHF Luc Tardif spoke about the situation on Sunday. From Tardif’s words, one gets the impression that he would like Russia and Belarus back in the ice hockey championships as quickly as possible.

“We have to leave the door open for them as soon as possible. It will be interesting to see what happens in the next two months,” Tardif said of the Canadian According to TSN.

of the United States elected president Donald Trump has been vocal about his intentions to end the war in Ukraine. It seems that Tardif has pinned his hopes on Trump’s word and is optimistic about the end of the war.

However, he talks about hoping for the end of the war specifically from the point of view of hockey. In his speeches, Tardif does not mention the point of view of Ukraine or Ukrainians, nor how the war would end and under what conditions.

“We want them back as quickly as possible. That would mean the war is over. Russia is needed for all competitions. But if they are included too early, no good will come of it,” Tardif said.

Russia and Belarus have been closed from international ice hockey competitions since the spring winter of 2022. At that time, Russia launched a major attack on Ukraine.