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The International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirmed on Tuesday that Russian teams will remain banned from the 2026 Winter Olympics, officially closing the door on NHL star Alex Ovechkin.
The IOC released a statement following comments from International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) President Luc Tardif.
“The IOC Executive Board recommendation from March 2023 with regard to teams of athletes with a Russian passport remains in place,” the statement read, via Reuters.
“It is based on the fact that, by definition, a group of Individual Neutral Athletes cannot be considered a team. We take note that the IIHF has confirmed that it will follow this recommendation.”
Speaking on the final day of the IIHF World Championship over the weekend, Tardif was asked about the possibility of Russian athletes competing in the upcoming Winter Games. He said that while a final decision had not been made, the belief was that the IOC would continue to uphold its ban.
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“Recently they asked us to send them a schedule without Russia, so that’s where we are,” Tardif said, via TheHockeyNews.com. “The official statement is pending, but the IOC has told us that they are informing the Russian Olympic Committee that they are not participating in the Olympics.”
The ban was put into place following the full military invasion of Ukraine which started in February 2022, four days after the Beijing Winter Games closed. A select few athletes were able to compete in the Paris Olympics as neutral athletes following a vetting process.
The NHL announced last year that players would be able to compete in the 2026 and 2030 Games for the first time since 2014, but Tuesday’s announcement shut the door to any Russian players hoping to compete – including Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin.
Earlier this month, four Russian figure skaters were approved for qualification by the International Skating Union to compete as neutral athletes. No Russian skaters were approved to compete in the pairs and ice dance disciplines.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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