Hockey fans on social media reacted to the IIHF Council meeting’s decision to uphold the bans on Russia and Belarus from international hockey competitions.
According to NHL insider Chris Johnston, there are no changes to the sanctions against Russia and Belarus, and they remain ineligible to participate in international hockey competitions due to safety concerns.
“There is no change to sanctions against Russia and Belarus coming out of today’s IIHF Council meeting, per sources. They remain ineligible to participate in international hockey competitions because of safety concerns,” Johnston reported.
Here’s how fans on X (formerly called Twitter) reacted. One tweeted:
“Stupid and hypocritical. Dig under all of the glittery distractions and they’re all the same. Government is an armed gang, and it doesn’t matter which flag they stand under.”
Another chimed in:
“Feel bad for the players who shouldn’t be caught up in this.”
Here are some of the other top reactions on X:
“Safety concerns? This is absurd lol. Was the Soviet Union banned from international play when they invaded Afghanistan? Was the US banned from international play when we invaded Iraq and Afghanistan? Spare me,” a third fan wrote.
“If USA can play, let russia play; we don’t need international orgs babying us we can beat them on the ice no matter what age,” one fan opined.
“What safety concerns? The players will do something? Or safety for the Russian /Belarus players? Bring them back to tournaments already,” anohter X user wrote.
“Didn’t the US invade Venezuela to capture their leader? I feel like that should have them exempt as well,” another chimed in.
Several prominent NHL players will miss 2026 Olympics due to IIHF bans on Russia and Belarus
Several prominent players will miss the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics due to the ongoing bans on Russia and Belarus by the IIHF.
This means active NHL players from the two nations cannot represent their countries and are effectively sidelined from Olympic hockey. The bans stem from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, leading to suspensions by the IIHF and the International Olympic Committee.
Players like Alex Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin, Nikita Kucherov, Andrei Vasilevskiy, Artemi Panarin, Kirill Kaprizov, Vladimir Tarasenko, and others would almost certainly have been locks for Team Russia if the ban weren’t in place.
Also Read: Alex Ovechkin and other Russian NHL stars speak out on nation’s snub from international tournaments
Edited by Abhishek Dilta
