MOSCOW, Jul 5 The Independent Disciplinary Board of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) rejected appeal of the Russian Hockey Federation (FHR) to the exclusion of the Russian national teams from participation in international competitions, according to the official website of the organization. In February, the IIHF Council suspended the national teams of Russia and Belarus from international competitions for an indefinite period. The teams have already missed the 2022 World Championships in Finland. In addition, the Disciplinary Board ruled in favor of the IIHF regarding the withdrawal of Russia's rights to host the 2023 Youth and Senior World Championships, as well as the decision not to appoint Russian referees to international tournaments and to ban Russian officials to hold positions in the IIHF committees. It is noted that the appeals were dismissed, since the decisions of the IIHF board were not recognized as a sanction, but as the implementation of a security policy that was not discriminatory. «We welcome the decision of the independent IIHF disciplinary board, which supported the decision of the board of the organization to the banning of Russian and Belarusian national teams from international competitions and the cancellation of two scheduled World Cups scheduled to take place in Russia next season We maintain that this decision was made for the safety and well-being of the players, staff, officials, media and spectators and we are glad that then the independent board agreed with it,” said IIHF President Luc Tardif. The decision of the independent disciplinary board is final and can be appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). It remains in effect until the time of appeal, unless CAS directs otherwise.
