The New Year began with an unexpected decision by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) to temporarily suspend Israeli hockey players from participating in tournaments under the auspices of the organization. The sanctions were a consequence of active hostilities that erupted between the Israeli army and the Palestinian Hamas movement in October 2023. In just a few months since they began, it was against hockey players that the first sanctions in the world of sports followed. Prior to this, the only visible restrictive measures were the decision of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) to postpone a number of international matches that were supposed to take place in Israel.
The IIHF verdict, adopted by the department’s council “after careful investigations and discussions,” provoked a scandal and loud discussions. So much so that Luc Tardif’s organization and the federation president personally had to come up with explanations, clarifications and justifications. Perhaps never before has hockey in Israel attracted so much attention, and some have learned for the first time that in this country they know how to handle a stick and puck at a professional level.
Initially, the IIHF limited itself to reporting the suspension of all Israeli hockey players for an indefinite period, but a couple of days later the federation issued a new statement in which it clarified that only the Israeli youth team (under 20 years old), which was supposed to play at the world championship among teams of the third division. The tournament itself starts on January 22 and will be held in Bulgaria, where it was moved from Israel. The IIHF also announced that it would make further decisions in February and March regarding the fate of all Israeli hockey players and their participation in international tournaments, and expressed the hope to “return Israel to the tournament program as soon as possible.”
The federation’s argument remains the same — concern for the safety of athletes. This is not the first time that the department under the leadership of Tardif has admitted its own incompetence and inability to organize tournaments so that their participants do not worry about their lives and health. Under a similar pretext, the IIHF also banned Russia and Belarus, which have been outside the international arena for almost two years. Although it is obvious to everyone that in both cases politics plays a decisive role. But Tardif will never publicly admit this.
By the way, it is interesting that the West has already suggested that Russia was involved in the removal of the Israelis. But the head of the IIHF, in response to a request from Sport, denied these rumors.
Much more interesting in this story is the appearance in the information field of the National Hockey League. The NHL, as you know, has no relation to the IIHF — the league is independent and free from the influence of the International Hockey Federation. However, this fact did not prevent the league from calling the removal of the Israelis unfair and asking the department to resolve the problem as quickly as possible. In addition to the NHL itself, the League Players Association (NHLPA) also entered the discussion. Everything would be fine, but the connection between the NHL and Israel is not discernible. Not a single Israeli hockey player is playing in the league — neither in the current season, nor in any season in history.
But there are plenty of Russians and Belarusians in the NHL. And it seems a fair remark addressed to the league, which did not make similar statements to the IIHF demanding that hockey players from Russia and Belarus be allowed to participate in international tournaments, but for some reason suddenly stood up for Israel. If you look at the reaction of the North American public, then almost every second or every third comment is accompanied by similar questions to the heads of the NHL: “Where were you when Russia and Belarus were suspended? If the IIHF banned Russia, then they can do the same with Israel. Either ban everyone or ban no one.»
This behavior of the NHL is truly surprising. The League, which is supported not least by Russian hockey players, stands up not for them, but for those who have never had anything to do with the NHL. We asked the league's deputy commissioner Bill Daly this question, but as expected, he did not give an answer. It is interesting how the IIHF will behave in this situation. It is unlikely that anyone will be surprised if Tardif and his team, under pressure from the same NHL, beat everything and return Israel to the international arena. And then the IIHF will finally admit its professional incompetence and worthlessness. After all, Russia and Belarus will have to be returned, but the federation will no longer agree to this.
The IIHF has painted itself into a corner and put itself in a losing position. If he unbans the Israelis, he will demonstrate his insolvency and dependence on third parties. Unban Russia and Belarus — it will show that all these two years they have been doing nonsense and refusing to take responsibility for ensuring normal conditions for playing hockey with the participation of Russians and Belarusians. Well, if the IIHF unbans Israel, but keeps the suspension of Russia and Belarus in effect, it will confirm its engagement and admit that it does not care about security, but makes political decisions.
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