MOSCOW, September 30 The Russian team will return to the top division of the World Cup after the removal suspension from international competitions, according to the official website of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). The semi-annual congress of the IIHF is being held in Belek, Turkey, which will end on October 1. The decision applies to both men's and women's teams. Adult, youth and junior (men's) teams will return to the top division. By the same principle, Belarusian hockey players will return to the division. After the return of the Russian and Belarusian national teams, the number of teams in the division will remain the same. Teams with lower IIHF rankings will be relegated, this procedure will apply to all divisions. The deadline for making a decision on the return of the Russian and Belarus national teams is the last match of the group stage of the upcoming World Cup. «To be clear, this decision does not mean the return of the Russian and Belarus national teams to IIHF competitions. Congress needed to make this decision so that IIHF members understood the conditions for future reintegration these countries. The IIHF Council will continue to monitor the situation in Ukraine,» said Luc Tardif, president of the organization. will continue to play in the top division. 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 Cup in Finland. Later, the independent disciplinary board of the IIHF rejected the appeal of the Russian Ice Hockey Federation (RHF) to remove the Russian national teams from participation in international competitions.
