KEMEROVO, Sep 29, Sergey Smyshlyaev. The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) is working over the option in which the Russian team, in the event of a return to international competitions, will continue to play in the top division, said FHR Executive Director Dmitry Kurbatov. In February, the IIHF Council suspended the Russian and Belarusian teams from international competitions for an indefinite period. The teams have already missed the 2022 World Cup in Finland. Later, the independent disciplinary board of the IIHF rejected the appeal of the Russian Ice Hockey Federation (FHR) to remove the Russian national teams from participation in international competitions. «It's no secret that different international federations reacted differently to the IOC call. We were practically suspended, although we had 11 representatives in Committees IIHF. We took an active part. It's not easy. Now there is a meeting of the IIHF congress, which will discuss the issue of when we will return and in what status. The working option is that we will be returned to the same division. Such a decision, I hope that tomorrow will be accepted,» Kurbatov said at the international forum «Russia is a sports power».
