IIHF Council Member Koziols Warns Russia's Return Would Cause Chaos in Championship Structure
Viesturs Koziols, a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) council, says Russia's return to national team tournaments would affect the structure of all championships. He suggests Estonia, which hosts its division's tournament next year, could be a casualty.
Viesturs Koziols, a member of the council of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), has commented on the possible return of Russia to international national team championships. He stresses that such a decision would affect absolutely every championship, so the future structure of the tournaments needs to be discussed.
Ukraine and Estonia
Koziols explains that if Russia comes back, Ukraine would most likely fail to reach the top division. That would mean at least one team from Division 1A, the second-strongest tier, would drop out. In his words, that team would be Estonia.
The situation is especially awkward for Estonia because it is due to host this division's championship next year. According to Koziols, if Estonia does not take part, it is clear the country would not organize the tournament either.
Costs already incurred
Koziols points out that Estonia has already spent money and paid for boards, television broadcasts and other tournament needs. In that case, those investments would go unused.
The IIHF council member concludes that such a scenario would create chaos, which is why he says the issue must be discussed now, before final decisions are made.
