Russia was expelled from the list of participants in the 2022 Ice Hockey World Championship, and then we were deprived of the right to host the world championship in 2023. The International Ice Hockey Federation did not stop there, but prepared another batch of sanctions.

Not only is our team officially withdrawn from the 2023 World Cup, but officials also suggest that we return to the elite from the very bottom – the first division of the World Cup.

But does the hockey power have to prove something to sports figures who feel they are omnipotent?

An offer for which you can send.

Interesting idea

After another decision of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), Russia will not only not be able to host the Ice Hockey World Championship, but will not even go there as a participant. A similar ban was received by the Belarusian team, which has recently been discriminated against in sports along with us.

It was possible to expect something similar from the IIHF, the current leadership of the organization has already demonstrated that the commitment to the current political agenda of a number of states is more important for it than organized work for the benefit of sports. Although it is the latter that is officially declared as the goal of the IIHF.

The news for hockey fans is not the most pleasant, but hardly capable of knocking the ground out from under their feet. In the end, the national team missed one World Cup, if it misses another one, we will survive. Another thing is that the leaders of world hockey do not seem to plan to stop there and are preparing another dirty trick for Russia – they want to lower our elite team into the first division. So far, there has been no official information on this subject, but such news appeared in the information field with reference to an idea that was voiced at the IIHF congress.

– At the IIHF congress, an interesting proposal was received – to unite divisions 1A and 1B. In this case, 10 teams will take part in the tournament, with quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals, as well as the elimination of the worst participants. Russia and Belarus can become the 11th and 12th teams when they are restored, journalist Bernd Freimüller wrote on social networks.

send away

It may be an interesting offer for someone, but it is wiser for us to refuse it.

– What is there to discuss? Send them away and that’s it. What is the first division of the world championship? To be humiliated completely to zero or what? My point of view is that this should not be allowed in any case, – the “Championship” quotes the two-time Olympic champion Vyacheslav Fetisov.

The IIHF kicked Russia out the door without any clear legal justification. The intention to send our team to prove the right to be among the strongest in the confrontation with Estonia, Lithuania or Romania can only cause bewilderment. Why endure this mockery? Probably to prove that we have the right to challenge France, Latvia or Austria in the future.

But will there be guarantees that the leaders of international hockey will stop there, and after another attempt to return to the “club of the elite” we will not be sent back to the fourth division under some pretext?

Photo: © Chung Sung-Jun / Staff / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru

Of course, you can make an iron argument – what options do we have? In a number of sports, where athletes have also suffered from anti-Russian hysteria, there really are few options. Attempts to achieve something through the courts or to compromise in some cases can cause understanding. But hockey is different.

Do the strongest hockey stars gather at the World Championship organized by the IIHF? Not quite so, the strongest finish the season in the NHL, and only in the event of relegation, some decide to strengthen their national teams. Until recently, the strongest took part in the Olympic Games every four years, took to the ice as part of the World Cup, held under the auspices of the National Hockey League. Of course, it is still prestigious to win the World Cup, and it is also an honor to host this tournament. But it should not be overestimated.

The National Hockey League can dictate the terms of the IIFH, forcing sports officials entrenched in Zurich to unsuccessfully solicit star players for the Olympics. Our hockey, unfortunately, is not in a position to dictate the terms of an international hockey organization, but still has enough weight to send away the initiators of ridiculous proposals.

The presence of the KHL, even in a reduced composition and with uncertain prospects for the participation of legionnaires, will calmly survive the years of the national team’s removal from the world championships and even the Eurotour. Without official international matches, of course, the fans will be bored. But, it is worth assuming that all this dirt raised by the federations will settle, and the desire to identify the truly strongest will not disappear anywhere. Whether it will be a modern analogue of the Super Series of the 1970s or the next reincarnation of the World Cup is a secondary moment. A strong Russian team will definitely be invited to such an event.

Photo: © RIA Novosti / Dmitry Donskoy

Will they call a team ready for any concessions? The question is moot. Therefore, it is impossible to agree to humiliating conditions of return. Do you want to get to the tournament “Red Car” in the strongest lineup? Prepare a place in the elite. And yes, the flag, the anthem and the original uniform will go to the World Cup with us.