Russia, as an aggressor state, has been officially excluded from participating in the ice hockey tournament of the 2026 Winter Olympic Games, which will be held in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo. The decision was made at the congress of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) in Stockholm based on the recommendations of the International Olympic Committee. The ban also applies to Belarus, its place in the tournament will be taken by France. This is reported by UNN with reference to Sportacentrs.
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According to the publication, at the annual congress of the International Ice Hockey Federation in Stockholm, which, as always, takes place in the homeland of the world championship, based on correspondence between the IIHF and the International Olympic Committee (IOC), it was decided that the aggressor state Russia will not participate in the ice hockey tournament of the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo.
The men's ice hockey tournament at the 2026 Winter Olympics will take place from February 11 to 22, while the women's competition is expected to take place from February 5 to 19.
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The aggressor countries Russia and Belarus were previously banned from IIHF tournaments until the summer of 2025. The decision to ban future aggressors from participating in future Olympic Games was made at the 2025 IIHF Congress in Stockholm. Thus, France secured a place at the Olympic Games as the next highest-ranked team.