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The International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirmed Tuesday that Russian teams will remain banned from 2026 Winter -ol, Officially, the door on the NHL star Alex Ovechkin closes.
The IOC released a statement following comments from the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) President Luc Tardif.
Washington Capitals left Wing Alex Ovechkin, #8, celebrating after scoring a goal past Buffalo Sabre’s goalkeeper James Reimer, #47, in the third period at Capital One Arena. (Amber Searls Preferred Pictures)
“The recommendation in the IOC’s executive board from March 2023 with regard to teams of athletes with a Russian passport remains in place,” the statement says, via Reuters.
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“It is based on the fact that a group of individual neutral athletes cannot be considered a team. We note that IIHF has confirmed that it will follow this recommendation.”
Tardif, who spoke on the last day of the IIHF world championship this weekend, was asked about the possibility of Russian athletes competing in the upcoming winter matches. He said that although a final decision was not made, the belief that the IOC would continue to maintain its ban was.
The NHL let last players compete in the 2014 Olympics. (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
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“Recently they asked us to send them a schedule without Russia, so this is where we are,” said Tardif, via TheHockeynews.com. “The official statement is pending, but the IOC has told us that they are informing the Russian Olympic Committee that they are not attending the Olympics.”
The ban was introduced after the full military invasion of Ukraine, which started in February 2022, four days after the Beijing Winter Games closed. A selection of a few athletes was able to compete in Paris -ol as neutral athletes following a control process.
The NHL Announced last year that players would be able to compete in the 2026 and 2030 matches for the first time since 2014, but Tuesday’s announcement closed the door to all Russian players hoping to compete -including Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin.
Washington Capital’s left wing Alex Ovechkin responds in the first period of an NHL -Hockey game against Edmonton Oilers Sunday 23 February 2025 in Washington, DC (AP Photo/Nick Wass, File)
Earlier this month, four Russian figurine cunters were approved for qualifying the international skating to compete as neutral athletes. No Russian skaters were approved to compete in pair and ice cream disciplines.
