The International Ice Hockey Federation has barred Israel from competing in its world championship events, citing security concerns, in a move Israel has vowed to dispute, decrying an "antisemitic" and "dangerous" decision.
The IIHF said in a statement issued Wednesday that its ruling council "has decided to restrict the Israeli National Team from participating in IIHF Championships until the safety and well-being of all participants (including Israeli participants) can be assured."
The Israeli men’s national team was due to play a Division II-A world championship tournament in Serbia in April against teams including Australia and the United Arab Emirates. The Israel women’s national team was scheduled for a Division III-B world championship event in Estonia in March against opponents including Bosnia-Herzegovina and Indonesia.
The Israeli Ice Hockey Association announced in response that it will file a claim with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against the international hockey group over its "antisemitic decision to exclude Israel is an unusual and very serious step that does not meet any international sporting standard and stands in complete contradiction to Olympic values."
The Israeli Ice Hockey Association said that "sources within the International Ice Hockey Federation suggest that the underlying cause of the decision appears to be the alleged capitulation of the Federation’s chairman, Luc Tardif, to political pressures, including influences from Russia."
The IIHF said it "took this decision after careful consideration and based on a risk assessment, discussions with the participating countries and discussions with the hosts."
The statement did not say if any other country had objected to playing against Israel and made no mention of the ongoing Israel-Hamas
...not a terrorist organization, even though it kidnaps people, holds hostages, and tries to negotiate by executing them,...war in Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with an iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about
oppressionand
disproportionate response...
, triggered by the Paleostinian terror group’s October 7 massacre.
Israel will remain excluded "for the time being," the IIHF said.
"In a personal conversation I had with the president of the International Hockey Federation, I witnessed a disappointing lack of transparency and opacity driven by a hidden agenda that has no place in world sports. The International Olympic Committee is aware of the situation and supports that Israel will not be discriminated [against] in any competition whatsoever. We will not allow this to happen," said Yael Arad, Chairman of the Olympic Committee of Israel, and an Olympic judoka champion.
In its reasoning, the IIHF has previously used similar language around safety and security to support its decision last year to suspend Russia and Belarus from competition following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The IIHF world championships are structured into a series of tiers and Israel’s national teams typically play in lower-division events with sparse crowds and little media exposure.
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