He noted that at the most recent meeting of the IIHF, they decided to prepare for a potential return of Russia and Belarus into under-18 competition in the 2027-28 season ... that’s the family of IIHF.
From there, the text raises the tone and questions the very nature of the decisions taken by the IIHF since the start of the war in Ukraine... Our IIHF Council Members are committed to ensuring the game we love is fair, safe and clean.
While Russian and Belarusian national and club teams won't be reintegrated into IIHF championships in 2026-27, the IIHF will consider reintegrating U-18 players in 2027-28 ....
The decision was taken by the IIHFCouncil following a meeting held on Wednesday and is based, according to the organisation itself, on a 'detailed risk assessment' of the current conditions for staging international tournaments.
The IIHF announced the conclusion Thursday following a council meeting Wednesday and what it called a detailed risk assessment ... “This consideration will remain contingent upon an ongoing assessment of safety and security conditions,” the IIHF said.
The IIHF will support the development and dissemination of the European safeguarding framework within the ice hockey community ... 💙 #IIHF pic.twitter.com/o7i6FLYYNV— IIHF (@IIHFHockey) January 16, 2026.