TASS, March 29. The 2018 Olympic champion Ilya Kovalchuk was disappointed with the decision of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) to remove the Russian team from the World Youth Ice Hockey Championship and advised the athletes to train even harder to realize their careers. Kovalchuk’s comment is quoted by the Sport-Express newspaper .

“I was very upset for our young guys, sport has always been out of politics, and then she got in unexpectedly. It’s bad that because of this we won’t see our team at the World Youth Championship, the guys should in no case be upset. They need to keep their nose higher, train even harder and continue doing what you love. I am sure that each of them will still have the opportunity to prove themselves in the international arena, if not at the youth world championship, then at adult tournaments we will definitely see them, “said Kovalchuk.

On February 28, the IIHF Council decided to suspend the adult, youth and junior teams of Russia from competitions under the auspices of the organization for an indefinite period. 

Postponed due to the coronavirus, the 2022 World Youth Ice Hockey Championship will be held from August 9 to 20 in Edmonton, Canada. The Russian team at the tournament will be replaced by the Latvian team.

Source: tass.ru