Russian federation plans to appeal international hockey ban
A country is taking a stand to try to get back to playing in hockey’s biggest events.
On Thursday, the Russian Ice Hockey Federation (RIHF) announced that it will be appealing the International Ice Hockey Federation’s ruling to ban its teams from competing in international competitions next season.
The appeal will be made to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
According to the RIHF, the federation wasn’t part of the IIHF Council meeting held on Wednesday, and it’s disappointed that it wasn’t included in the discussions or allowed to give its position on the matters at hand.
It comes just a few weeks from the Opening Ceremony of the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has upheld its decision to allow individual Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete at the Olympics, but no organized teams – meaning NHL stars like Alex Ovechkin and Nikita Kucherov weren’t given a chance to return to the Winter Games in Italy.
The RIHF comends the IOC’s decision to allow the individuals from its country the opportunity to compete, but states that the IIHF ignored the IOC’s guidance on honoring the “Olympic movement.”
“The RIHF is convinced that the (IOC’s) decision to recommend that international federations admit Russian and Belarusian juniors to international tournaments upholds the Olympic movement’s principles of non-discrimination,” the RIHF said in a release. “Particularly against young athletes. However, the IIHF took the decision to ignore the IOC’s recommendations.”
The statement comes after the IIHF Council ruled that Russia and Belarus will remain banned from participating in its events for the 2026-27 season, citing continued safety concerns.
The RIHF states that the fear of safety of the athletes participating with Russians is out of date.
“The RIHF believes that the argument regarding the impossibility of ensuring the safety of participants in international tournaments involving Russian national teams is no longer relevant, lacks any basis, and is merely a formal pretext for denying our country’s participation.”
The two nations have been banned from IIHF competition since the two countries invaded Ukraine in February 2022.