Russian Ice Hockey Federation issues response to their IIHF suspension
The International Ice Hockey Federation delivered the punishment to both the Russian and Belarusian Ice Hockey Federation and the IIHF didn't hold back. The Federation removed both Belarus and Russia from all upcoming tournaments.
The IIHF issued the following statement:
The IIHF Council has suspended all Russian and Belarusian national and club teams from IIHF competitions until further notice and withdrew the hosting rights of the 2023 #WorldJuniors from Russia.
Despite this ban it does appear that the Russian Ice Hockey Federation does have plans to appeal their suspension. The Russian's issued the following comments after the IIHF announcement:
In a statement responding to losing the 2023 WJC hosting rights and its teams being banned from competition, Russian Hockey Federation says IIHF's decision is "discriminatory and contrary to the spirit of the sport." RHF disagrees with decision and reserves right to appeal.
While IIHF is one piece, many member nations have already announced separately they will not compete against Russian teams at any tournament until further notice. They can appeal all they want, they still won't find credible opponents willing to play them.
While IIHF is one piece, many member nations have already announced separately they will not compete against Russian teams at any tournament until further notice. They can appeal all they want, they still won't find credible opponents willing to play them.
This appeal is unlikely to be successful, but this continues the process of the Russian Federation trying to downplay their actions at this time.
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Should the IIHF uphold the Russian/Belarus suspensions? | ||
| Yes | 916 | 78.9 % |
| No | 245 | 21.1 % |
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