The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) is not going to exclude the Chinese national team from participating in the Olympic Games in Beijing, said the head of the organization Luke Tardif.The IIHF Council on Tuesday discussed the feasibility of China's men's national team participating in the 2022 Olympic tournament. A source familiar with the situation told RIA Novosti earlier on Tuesday that the chances of keeping the Chinese national hockey team among the participants of the 2022 Games in Beijing are quite high.
"To make it clear, the IIHF is not going to suspend the Chinese national team from participating in the Olympic Games, the status of the men's national team as a participant in the Olympic hockey tournament as a team of the host country of the Games has been confirmed by the Congress and remains unchanged," the IIHF website quotes Tardif.
The players of the Chinese national team who have the right to play for it will play for Kunlun in the KHL matches on November 15 and 17 with Amur Khabarovsk and Avangard Omsk. After these games, the IIHF Council will again discuss further steps on the state of preparation of the Chinese team for the Olympics.
"We are working with the Chinese Hockey Association to confirm permits for players to participate in matches in accordance with the IIHF rules, and we will continue to assist them in preparing their team for the Olympic Games," said the head of the IIHF.
The Olympic Games in Beijing will be held from February 4 to 20, 2022. The Chinese national team, which did not play in the qualification of the Games as the host country, will play in the hockey tournament in group A together with the teams of Canada, the USA and Germany.
