A decision will be made by the end of October on whether the Chinese men’s hockey team can compete in next February’s Winter Olympics in Beijing, which they will host, but if their playing skills are not up to the right level, the International Federation (IIHF) could be disqualified.
Illustration: Istvan Mirko / Hungarian Nation |
In principle, the current host has the right to compete, but this is not an automatic option. The new president of the International Football Association (IIHF), Luc Tardiff of France, who was elected on Saturday, said the relevant federation officials will verify that the Chinese men’s team has reached the required level, only because Canada, the United States and Germany were in line. NHL stars. They will fight against his group matches. The Chinese men are ranked 32 in the world rankings and have not played a betting match for two years due to the coronavirus epidemic.
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If, at the end of the IIHF Test, it was decided that the Chinese hockey team was still unable to participate in the Beijing Olympics, the Norwegians could bleed into the top rankings in the final round of qualifying.
“There is already an inappropriate level of play in the case of the Chinese men’s team. It is not good to see a team defeat 15-0, it is good for no one, not the Chinese, not the sport. The decision will be made by the end of October. – Tell Luke Tardiff. – If it is not possible for China to start, we have a Plan B, depending on the arrangement, with Norway.”
He added that the Chinese women’s team – 20th in the world rankings – is not in danger of not being allowed to start in Beijing.