Olympics: It appears Russia, as expected will not be permitted to play in the 2026 Olympics..replaced by France.

[93gilmour93]

Teams represent a country. Athletes compete as individuals. Kucherov for instance, can’t compete as an individual, he has to be part of a team. If more than one country is banned, how do they compete as a team?

Individual athletes are still representing the country. Doesn't matter if it's one person or a hockey team. If they win a medal it goes on the board as a medal for Russia. It makes the Olympics look like a clown show

 

[Moose Head]

Individual athletes are still representing the country. Doesn't matter if it's one person or a hockey team. If they win a medal it goes on the board as a medal for Russia. It makes the Olympics look like a clown show

Oh I thought it went under some miscellaneous category and they had the Olympic flag instead Russian or whatever

 

[I Hate Blake Coleman]

Not even the "Olympic Athletes of Russia" are allowed? Too bad. Not a true best on best without them.

 

[93gilmour93]

Oh I thought it went under some miscellaneous category

So what's the argument then or am I mistaken here

 

[Oilslick941611]

Great news! For all you people saying the opposite, I’d love to hear a reason for why they should be allowed to play

oppositional contrarian disorder.


Some people just have to be on the other side for the sake of not appearing to conform, no matter the issue.

 

[Romang67]

Oh I thought it went under some miscellaneous category

It does. Officially, Russia has not won an Olympic medal since 2016.

 

[DaaaaB's]

Good, they shouldn't be allowed and Russia hasn't won a best vs best tournament in decades anyhow.

 

[93gilmour93]

It does.

Explain please. A Russian athlete goes to the Olympics, wins a medal but it doesn't count for the country totals?

 

[Romang67]

Explain please. A Russian athlete goes to the Olympics, wins a medal but it doesn't count for the country totals?

Correct. Russia has not participated in the Olympics since 2016. Mostly because of the doping.

I'm surprised people were unaware of this.

 

[93gilmour93]

Correct. Russia has not participated in the Olympics since 2016. Mostly because of the doping.

But if a figure skater wins a medal in the 2026 Olympics it doesn't count as a medal for Russia?

 

[JackSlater]

Not surprising. Makes the hockey competition worse, but it was never about that so those complaints are irrelevant. I am fine with countries undergoing unprovoked invasions of other countries being banned from most facets of international relations. I could live with Russia playing as well, but it would make no sense to just end the ban after it was enacted when no improvements have been made.

 

[Finlandia WOAT]

Individual athletes are still representing the country. Doesn't matter if it's one person or a hockey team. If they win a medal it goes on the board as a medal for Russia. It makes the Olympics look like a clown show

If hockey Team Russia was now hockey Team a-bunch-of-guys-who-just-showed-up-and-aren't-representing-any-particular-country, then what's to stop them from recruiting all the Canadians and Americans who didn't make their respective teams?

You can do this with individual athletes, it doesn't work with teams

 

[Edmonton East]

With how pathetic the world is now, we would have never gotten the 1980 US hockey "miracle" today. USSR wouldn't have been allowed to play.....nevermind that they actually played IN THE US.

Stupid to punish the players, many of which play/live in the United States, for not overthrowing their government. Accomplishes nothing, makes the game worse, and wrongly causes further division between folks that have nothing to do with the war.

 

[Zirakzigil]

But if a figure skater wins a medal in the 2026 Olympics it doesn't count as a medal for Russia?

As has been stated, it does not.

 

[Romang67]

But if a figure skater wins a medal in the 2026 Olympics it doesn't count as a medal for Russia?

No. Russia isn't participating in the 2026 Olympics. It will go down as a medal for that figure skater, and for the Individual Neutral Athletes.

 

[Finlandia WOAT]

Oh I thought it went under some miscellaneous category and they had the Olympic flag instead Russian or whatever

That's officially what happens

 

[93gilmour93]

As has been stated, it does not.

Ok but how does it make sense?

 

[93gilmour93]

No. Russia isn't participating in the 2026 Olympics. It will go down as a medal for that figure skater, and for the Individual Neutral Athletes.

I believe you but it just seems so stupid....

 

[Zirakzigil]

Ok but how does it make sense?

How does it not? Been happening for years when countries get sanctioned for drug doping and are not allowed to be there. Their athletes that are proven clean by other anti drug agencies still compete as neutrals.

 

[Summer Rose]

Explain please. A Russian athlete goes to the Olympics, wins a medal but it doesn't count for the country totals?

It's not entered into official records, however much meaning you want to attach to that (if any). Basically, "X athlete who won and happened to be from Russia" and "their medal win is credited to the official records of the ROC." In an individual sport, I personally find this distinction meaningless. In a team sport, it could have some tangible implications, for example I don't believe the "Olympic Athletes from Russia" winning gold in men's hockey counted towards IIHF world rankings for Russia. If this distinction doesn't mean anything to you personally, then that's up to you, and your decision to make alone.

A vaguely related example is that when the "Unified Team" won gold in men's hockey (as well as in any other sport they might have happened to earn medals for in 1992), that gold medal win is neither credited towards the Soviet Union, nor Russia (who was named the "successor state" to the USSR in hockey and inherited all their historical records and such including medal count).

 

[winnipegger]

Looking forward to seeing a national Ukrainian team one day once things are back to normal.

 

[Senor Catface]

How does it not? Been happening for years when countries get sanctioned for drug doping and are not allowed to be there. Their athletes that are proven clean by other anti drug agencies still compete as neutrals.

But why male models?

 

[MasterofGrond]

I don’t particularly care where you draw the line on banning a country for its political/military actions.

But I do think the line needs to be applied consistently. And it is not being applied consistently.

It’s disappointing we won’t see a great team in a best in best tournament.

 

[93gilmour93]

How does it not? Been happening for years when countries get sanctioned for drug doping and are not allowed to be there. Their athletes that are proven clean by other anti drug agencies still compete as neutrals.

I get the doping thing but the Olympics ban Russia but have a loop hole for Russian athletes to compete, win a medal and just get put into some category acting like it wasn't a medal won by a Russian athlete at the Olympics.

 

[Hostile Offer]

Is the Olympics really a true determinant of best on best? It’s a short tournament where the best teams can lose to a hot goalie in the single game knockout stage and be out.
7 games series shows the best. They’d nhl playoffs are the best.
Olympic hockey is fun to watch. But it definitely doesn’t always result in the best winning.
Hopefully it’s played in proper sized ice so at least the games are fast and exciting big boy hockey.

The Olympics are by far the closest feasible way to determine the international power relations for hockey. True in a seven game series you don't get any ridiculous upsets like Belarus beating Sweden but that's part of the charm and in the end the best teams are by far the likeliest to win anyway, plus it attracts the players, national organizations and fans alike to really embrace it as a true best-on-best tournament. Calling it as anything beyond such is nitpicking.