The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) on Monday suspended Russian and Belarusian groups from its competitions till additional discover and revoked Russia’s 2023 World Junior Championship internet hosting rights.
The announcement comes as sporting our bodies across the globe transfer to bar Russian athletes from competing in worldwide occasions amid Russia’s ongoing navy invasion of Ukraine.
Belarus has been a key staging space for the invasion.
“We were incredibly shocked to see the images that have come out of Ukraine,” IIHF President Luc Tardif mentioned in an announcement.
“I have been in close contact with the Ice Hockey Federation of Ukraine and we hope for all Ukrainians that this conflict can be resolved in a peaceful way and without the need for further violence.”
Both FIFA and UEFA suspended Russian groups from worldwide soccer. On Monday, the International Olympic Committee’s govt board really useful federations to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from competitors.
USA Hockey backed the IIHF’s resolution.
“Our hearts and prayers are with the people of Ukraine as they defend their country,” it mentioned in an announcement.
“The actions of (Russian President) Vladimir Putin and the support from Belarusian government officials are beyond reprehensible.”
Hockey Canada mentioned it could bar Russia and Belarus from collaborating in occasions in Canada, together with these that don’t fall below the IIHF’s jurisdiction.
Canada is about to host the world junior championships in August, an occasion Russia has received three-times within the final 20 years and reached the rostrum 16-times.
“Hockey Canada strongly condemns the unprovoked attack on Ukraine by Russia and stands in support of the nation of Ukraine,” Hockey Canada mentioned in an announcement.
“While this is a humanitarian crisis that goes beyond sports, we also stand in solidarity with the Ukrainian hockey family and all those impacted around the world.”
The National Hockey League (NHL) suspended ties with its Russian enterprise companions as properly on Monday and condemned the invasion in Ukraine, days after Alex Ovechkin, the Russian captain of the Washington Capitals and one of many league’s most prolific objective scorers, referred to as for peace .
“Effective immediately, we are suspending our relationships with our business partners in Russia,” the NHL mentioned in an announcement.
“In addition, we are discontinuing any consideration of Russia as a location for any future competitions involving the NHL.”
Just a bit of over per week in the past, the Russian Olympic Committee’s males’s ice hockey crew took silver on the Beijing Winter Games.
“The IIHF is not a political entity and cannot influence the decisions being taken over the war in Ukraine,” mentioned President Tardif.
“We nevertheless have a duty of care to all of our members and participants and must do all we can to ensure that we are able to operate our events in a safe environment for all teams taking part in the IIHF World Championship program.”
Russia calls its actions in Ukraine a “special operation” that it says shouldn’t be designed to occupy territory however to destroy its southern neighbor’s navy capabilities and seize what it regards as harmful nationalists.
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With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
