Latvia, Lithuania among countries that won’t play hockey tournaments against Belarus
A couple of nations are taking a stand against the International Ice Hockey Federation’s recent decision.
According to a recent report from BB.lv, a Latvian news site, the Latvian Hockey Federation has declared that its national teams, along with Lithuania, will refuse to play Belarus in international competition.
On Thursday, the IIHF announced that Belarus will return to major international competition during the 2026-27 season. At their annual congress in Zurich, Switzerland, the organization determined that the nation will be allowed to participate in the IIHF Under-18 Men’s World Championship, the Under-18 Women’s DIII World Championship, and Women’s DIV World Championship in 2027.
With that, Belarus is expected to be eligible to compete in the top division of the Men’s U-18s, which Latvia is also set to play in. However, Latvian Hockey Federation secretary general Roberts Pļaveis told Latvian-based public service broadcaster Latvijas Televīzija that Latvia will field a team in next year’s tournament, set to be held in Duluth, Minn., but they won’t play any games against Belarus.
“The LHF plans to participate in the tournament, but does not plan to play matches against the Belarusian team.”
If Belarus were admitted to the top division, they and Latvia would be in separate groups, but the potential that the two could be matched up in the knockout stage might prove a logistical problem for the IIHF.
For those who think that Latvia would simply strike due to geopolitical reasons, the team actually legally couldn’t face Belarus. In 2024, Latvia passed a law that bans any national team from facing Russian and Belarusian squads.
As for Lithuania, it was set to play in the Women’s U-18 DIII tournament. However, with Belarus’ admittance, the federation announced that the player wouldn’t participate in the event.
Belarus, along with Russia, had been banned from IIHF competition since the two countries invaded Ukraine in 2022. Russia is still barred from playing in major international competition, though the IIHF is re-evaluating its status ahead of next season.