Striker of Moscow club “Spartak” Ilya Kovalchuk in an interview “Match TV” He criticized the decision of the International Hockey Federation (IIHF) to suspend Russian junior and youth teams from international competitions.
“Let all these decisions be on the conscience of the IIHF. What do the junior and youth national teams of Russia have to do with it? It is clear that the main national team can still have a stake in the fact that this is the flagship of the country and everyone supports it. Why are you punishing young men? They’re not even adults and they’ve been excluded from the World Cup. This is generally below average.
So for those who are now leading the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the IIHF, this story will haunt us again,” Kovalchuk said.
In the spring of 2022, the International Hockey Federation decided to ban Russian players from participating in international tournaments, even with neutral status, and the organization also stripped Russia of the right to host the youth world championship at home in 2023.
In March 2023, the IIHF extended the suspension for the 2023/24 season. At the same time, the president of the organization, Luc Tardif, said that the IIHF council will return to the issue of accepting the national teams of Russia and Belarus in March 2024.
Previously decided Winner of the World Junior Hockey Championship.