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Russia excluded from the 2026 Olympics – implications for Germany!
Russia has been banned from the 2026 Olympics by the IIHF. The impact on the groups and national teams is significant.
Russia excluded from the 2026 Olympics – implications for Germany!
On May 25, 2025, it was officially announced that Russia would not take part in the 2026 Olympic Games in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo. Luc Tardif, president of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), confirmed this decision on the final day of the Ice Hockey World Championship in Stockholm. The exclusion of Russia is a response to the ongoing Ukraine conflict, which has excluded the country from all ice hockey world championships since 2022. The IIHF has been tasked with drawing up a schedule for the Olympic Games without Russia, while the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will assume organizational responsibility for the Games. The game plan was prepared both with and without Russia, but ultimately the version without the Russian team will be reality.
The effects of exclusion are clearly noticeable. For the German national team this means that they will compete in Group C against the USA, Latvia and Denmark. Originally, Denmark, Finland and the Czech Republic would have been the German team's opponents if Russia had taken part. These changes also shed light on the far-reaching consequences that the exclusion of Russia can have on competitive fairness and sporting dynamics.
IOC and IIHF: decisions are imminent
The organizing committee has instructed the IIHF to draw up the schedule without Russia, and the IOC will soon communicate an official decision on Russia's participation. Tardif explained that the Russian Olympic Committee has also been informed of this exclusion and a public announcement of the decision is imminent. These measures are part of a larger framework in which even the national teams of Belarus and Russia are not allowed to take part in the 2026 World Cup in Switzerland.
A particularly important aspect of the 2026 Olympic Games is the return of all stars from the North American professional league NHL who have not been represented at the Winter Games since 2014. With a regular schedule that excludes Russia, the hockey community expects the games to offer an exciting and competitive format. For Switzerland, the exclusion of Russia also means that they will play in their group with prominent opponents such as Canada and the Czech Republic.
Looking into the future
Russia's exclusion from the Olympic Games and the upcoming World Championships in Switzerland could also have long-term implications for the international ice hockey scene. It remains to be seen what conditions must be met for Russia to take part again in the 2027 home World Cup in Germany. A decision on this will be made in February 2027, indicating that the international sporting community remains sensitive to political developments and wants to preserve the integrity of the competition.
In summary, the exclusion of Russia from the 2026 Olympic Games not only represents a clear position of the IIHF and the IOC regarding current geopolitical events, but will also have a lasting impact on the structure and dynamics of the upcoming international competitions.
For more information read the reports from Zvw, Hockey News and Bluewin.