IOC Provisionally Lifts Suspension Of Russian Olympic Committee: How It Could Affect Hockey
The International Olympic Committee provisionally lifted the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee on Tuesday.
The ban against the ROC has been in effect since October 2023, as a result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the ROC's claim on regions in Ukraine.
"The decision was taken following a thorough analysis by the IOC's Legal Affairs Commission, considering that the ROC no longer includes as its members any regional sports organisations in territories falling under the jurisdiction of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine," the IOC said in a news release.
The IOC said it will continue to monitor the situation, and its stance against Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which has lasted since February 2022, has not changed. It still strongly condemns it.
IIHF Will Revisit Whether To Allow Russia Back For 2026-27 Season
The Russian Ice Hockey Federation successfully appealed the IIHF Council's decision not to reintegrate Russian teams into competition in 2026-27. The council must re-analyze the situation before reaching a new decision.
With this news, Team Russia is a little bit closer to potentially participating in international hockey tournaments again.
Since the IOC's initial ban, Russian hockey players haven't competed in international tournaments, such as the IIHF's World Championship and World Junior Championship, and the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan.
The IIHF and NHL have tended to align their regulations and suspensions with the IOC. With the suspension on Russian athletes and teams provisionally lifted, they may be back to competing alongside other nations again soon.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said in June the league needs more information from the IIHF on what it plans to do with Russia in future tournaments before deciding whether there will be a Russian squad at the 2028 World Cup of Hockey.
That being said, Russian players will compete at the 2027 NHL All-Star Game, which will be a mini-tournament featuring the U.S., Canada, Sweden, Finland and a rest-of-world squad.
The IIHF announced in May that instead of suspending Russia from competition in 2026-27, it will evaluate its eligibility on an event-by-event basis.
Russia's hockey federation had appealed the original suspension to the IIHF's Disciplinary Board, which instructed the IIHF Council to re-analyze Russia's eligibility based on safety, security, operational and sporting plans.
Tuesday's news comes two months after the IOC announced it doesn't recommend bans on Belarusian athletes and teams anymore.
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This story was originally published July 7, 2026 at 1:04 PM.