Finland demands ban on Russia, Belarus from Ice Hockey WC

The Finnish Ice Hockey Association (Suomen Jääkiekkoliitto) demanded exclusion of Russia and Belarus from the upcoming Ice Hockey World Championship scheduled to be held in Finland in May.

The association reviewed the situation during the weekend and took the decision to not allow Russia and Belarus in the world championship protesting against Russia´s attack on Ukraine, said the association in a press release on Monday.

“We had discussed the issue over the weekend and also held meeting with Luc Tardiff, President of the International Hockey Federation. We have said that Russia and Belarus should be completely excluded from international hockey activities and we do not intend to play against the national teams of these countries,” said Chairman of the Finnish Ice Hockey Association Harri Nummela.

Earlier, on 25 February the association condemned Russia's attack on Ukraine and had started discussions with the International Hockey Association and other key hockey countries to assess the situation and possible measures.

“We also said that it is not possible to allow Russia and Belarus to participate in the Men's World Championships in Tampere and Helsinki in May,” Nummela added.

Finnish, Swedish and Czech ice hockey associations will meet on Monday to discuss the issue, the press release added.