The International Ice Hockey Federation announced it won’t allow Russian and Belarusian youth teams to compete this season. The organization said it’s considering bringing them back at the under-18 level starting in 2027-28.
The IIHF made the announcement Thursday after a council meeting and what it called a detailed risk assessment.
“The current security conditions do not allow the necessary requirements for the organization of tournaments guaranteeing the safety of all,” the IIHF said in a statement.
The decision comes after the International Olympic Committee recommended last month that sports governing bodies should let those countries’ teams and athletes compete in international youth events. The IOC said they could compete with their full national identity, including flags and anthems.
The debate restarted following that IOC recommendation.
The IIHF said any future reintegration depends on safety conditions improving.
“This consideration will remain contingent upon an ongoing assessment of safety and security conditions,” the federation said. “If these risks sufficiently reduce over the coming months, the IIHF will work together with the relevant national associations to support a possible reintegration at the youth level.”
Both countries have been banned from all IIHF events since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
The ban affects every level of international hockey competition. Russia and Belarus won’t participate in the upcoming Milan Cortina Olympics either.
The federation’s decision means another season without some of hockey’s traditionally strongest youth programs competing on the international stage.
