The Russian junior hockey team has made an appeal to the International Hockey Federation (IIHF) with a request to return the team to the opportunity to compete at the 2025 World Championships. The text of the letter provides guidance TASS With reference to the press service of the Russian Hockey Federation (RHF).
The players reminded that the teams were not allowed to finish the tournament, which was canceled due to coronavirus, in 2022, and that they were not allowed to participate in the competitions in 2023 and 2024 due to “security issues” at the SVO ground in Ukraine. – This is the decision that the IIHF is discussing. Hockey players wondered why there was a different attitude towards the Israeli national team, which also witnessed armed conflicts.
“For the same reason, you suspended the Israeli national team from tournaments on January 11, 2024, only deciding to return it six days later. I would like to know what happened in these six days: Are the conflicts in the Middle East over, were the security problems resolved in a short time? We ask you: What have we, those born in 2003-2005, done to world hockey? Why are you diligently erasing us from world hockey, making your own tournament (and future adult national team tournaments) less competitive?
If the problem is not about security, but about political preferences, conditions or beliefs, declare it directly, loudly to the world, otherwise, with all due respect, why send back a team that has very little claim to anything? The message states that the other, who competes for medals from season to season after six days of suspension, will be isolated for years.
Hockey players also cited the example of the National Hockey League (NHL), which does not close its doors to either Russians or representatives of other countries. They noticed that the NHL proudly reports the achievements of Russian hockey players. The Continental Hockey League (KHL), in which representatives of many countries play, was also mentioned.
“Our collective letter addressed to the International Hockey Federation is a cry from the heart. “We will cope with any difficulties and still be professionals, despite your decisions, but we want to know the truth, we want to hear an honest answer, and not bureaucratic excuses hidden behind standard template answers,” the hockey players concluded.
The letter was signed by Matvey Michkov, Sergey Ivanov, Arseny Koromyslov, Egor Zavragin, Mikhail Ilyin, Mikhail Gulyaev, Timur Mukhanov, Ivan Demidov, Ivan Remezovsky, Igor Chernyshov, Egor Rimashevsky, Artem Kudashov, Maxim Velikov, Dmitry Simashev, Daniil. Kirill Dolzhenkov, Artem Barabosha.
In the spring of 2022, the IIHF 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.
Previously Bykov statedThe NHL’s voice may have weight in the Russian’s return.