State Duma Deputy Complains That Russia Has Ceased to Be a Hockey Nation.

Two-Time Olympic hockey champion and State Duma Deputy Vyacheslav Fetisov expressed his thoughts that due to the exclusion from the Olympic Games, Russia can no longer be considered a hockey nation. The French Hockey Federation confirmed the participation of its team in the 2026 Olympic Games instead of the Russian team.

«This is unpleasant news, albeit expected. I do not understand what we were waiting for all this time, as the sports officials fed us various promises. I am, as before, irritated by all these promises and the expectation of some miracle. If this is how they treat us, then we are no longer a very hockey nation. Apparently, we have lost our influence on world hockey, and there is no one left to defend us,» Fetisov noted.

The International Ice Hockey Federation earlier decided not to allow Russian teams to the Games in Italy. The Olympics will take place from February 6 to 22 in Italy, and Russia will remain absent from this event.

Likes on Social Media Cause Scandal

Russian athlete Mira Andreeva sparked a scandal by liking posts of multiple-time prizewinner of the Russian Alpine Skiing Championships Anton Yendzhievsky. Yendzhievsky is an activist of the 'People's Front' organization, which is under sanctions from several countries, including the EU and Ukraine, for supporting the war. This incident provoked discussions in the public sphere about the actions of athletes on social media.

Tensions are rising in the sports world regarding the participation of Russian teams in international competitions, driving athletes to unpredictable and sometimes refutable actions that provoke real scandals in public.