Men's Ice Hockey Qualification to Winter Olympic Games Milano-Cortina 2026

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On 9/15/2023 at 4:22 AM, hckošice said:

Right now, It´s a complete mess.

 

I mean, at one point it start to be completely ridiculous, Different National federations complain about lack of information from IIHF (and if there sometimes, they are always brief, often contradictory) , like seriously, we reach a point when literally no one knows if he have to play, if he will play at all, when he will play... and it will be like this until March, until the IIHF definitively resolves the issue of Russia and Belarus.

 

Last info (IIHF again did Not explain anything, just posted this on its official Events Calendar document https://stats.iihf.com/Hydra/IIHF_Calendar_of_Events.pdf), that the 1st round was apparently cancelled just like that.. no idea why. Complete mess

 

Agree this is a total mess.  First us Hockey fans have to search google to find out that Hong Kong posted about a round one qualification tournament.  Then later searching google you can find Thailand posting about another first round tournament. Then UAE posts about having to play in a 1st round tournament.  Then South Africa posts a letter from the IIHF welcoming them as the first African country to qualify to play in a 1st round tournament in Thailand.  All of that had to be searched thru the likes of google because the IIHF posted nothing. Then suddenly the IIHF advances 3 of the 10 teams to 2nd round qualifications in the events page with a small comment cancelled round 1.  No word why.  No indication why the other 7 nations were just tossed.  I KNOW FOR A FACT South Africa had already selected their team and fund raised for support yet suddenly are dropped without a notice.  This is a real mess.  Almost wish FIBA ran Ice Hockey.  At least we as fans would get information without having to do intensive searching.

Edited October 2, 2023 by stockblock

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I have the reason for the cancel made on the Round One tournaments below from a very good source.

 

Group N- UAE, Kyrgyzstan, Hong Kong, Kuwait, Georgia

Group O- Thailand, Chinese Taipai, Bosnia, South Africa, Iran

 

 

Both UAE and Thailand the original hosts declined to host the tournaments. IIHF then determined after checking with the other 8 that none were willing to host or simply did not have acceptable rinks to host. Thus unable to find a acceptable host for these two tournaments the IIHF cancelled them.  To me totally unacceptable.  Says much that you can't find some place to play thus the original two turned it down getting a automatic advance.

Edited October 3, 2023 by stockblock

[Olympian1010 7,479]

 both hosted multi-sports games with ice hockey on the program in the last four years.  just hosted a tournament, no?

 

It seems wild that the reason for cancellation would be a lack of hosts. Then again, if no one wants to host, I guess none of those programs are too committed to Olympic qualification anyway 

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11 minutes ago, Olympian1010 said:

 both hosted multi-sports games with ice hockey on the program in the last four years.  just hosted a tournament, no?

 

It seems wild that the reason for cancellation would be a lack of hosts. Then again, if no one wants to host, I guess none of those programs are too committed to Olympic qualification anyway 

Fully agree ! Plus it hurts the 7 teams that wanted to play but got locked out. Don't know how the discussions went with the other nations after the first 2 rejected hosting.   I can assure you this comes from a good source. One of the teams but i cannot go further on that. 

Edited October 3, 2023 by stockblock

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On 9/15/2023 at 4:22 AM, hckošice said:

Right now, It´s a complete mess.

 

I mean, at one point it start to be completely ridiculous, Different National federations complain about lack of information from IIHF (and if there sometimes, they are always brief, often contradictory) , like seriously, we reach a point when literally no one knows if he have to play, if he will play at all, when he will play... and it will be like this until March, until the IIHF definitively resolves the issue of Russia and Belarus.

 

Last info (IIHF again did Not explain anything, just posted this on its official Events Calendar document https://stats.iihf.com/Hydra/IIHF_Calendar_of_Events.pdf), that the 1st round was apparently cancelled just like that.. no idea why. Complete mess

 

I wonder now that i identified what the cause is of the cancel in my above post.  I wonder if its possible things could still change. I see the TBA or To Be Announced gives me a slim hope that something could still occur.  Perhaps somehow the 7 now on the outside could still pull something or at least are trying. Of course they would need two locations to step forward with limited time to do it.  

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I guess i  hoped against hope above.  I received confirmation from my source no effort is being made to save round one.  It is cancelled period.

 

I am appalled by the decision.  What sports governing body would receive requests from 8 nations to attempt to qualify for the Olympics.  Determine one nation would not be allowed  because they already had a two  5 team groups for Round One and felt it would be unfair to make one group 6. Then would approve 7 other national teams but one month later advise those 7 sorry come back in 4 years because we can't find a hockey rink for you to play in. The IIHF is supposed to be promoting ice hockey.  The treatment of the 8 nations and their players is pathetic. They should have played these games even in Switzerland the home base of the IIHF if necessary.   I can't think of another governing body of a team sport that would treat member teams in this fashion.  Some of these teams were already in training camp ! 

Edited October 4, 2023 by stockblock

[hckošice 13,267]

3 minutes ago, stockblock said:

The IIHF is supposed to be promoting ice hockey

Yeah, IIHF is famous for many things, but definitely not for this one

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Another change to qualifying for Round 2

 

 

Group K

 

Estonia, Iceland, Bulgaria, Kyrgyzstan

 

Group L

Netherlands, Spain, Mexico,  Thailand

 

Group M

Serbia, Croatia, Turkey, Chinese Taipei

 

 

Basically  UAE given the boot.  Chinese Taipei & Thailand move up.  Kyrgyzstan gets in...

 

 

Why who knows ?

 

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English news is reporting today confirmed info on Group H for Round 3 played in England.   Given Group H is now more or less confirmed it  looks easy to figure what G and J are

 

 

Grp G (unconfirmed)  Hungary, Lithuania, Japan,  3rd Qualifier

 

Grp H (Confirmed)   Great Britain,  Romania,  China,  2nd Qualifier

 

Grp J  (unconfirmed)  Korea,  Poland,  Ukraine,  1st Qualifier

[hckošice 13,267]

On 10/7/2023 at 11:55 PM, stockblock said:

English news is reporting today confirmed info on Group H for Round 3 played in England.   Given Group H is now more or less confirmed it  looks easy to figure what G and J are

 

 

Grp G (unconfirmed)  Hungary, Lithuania, Japan,  3rd Qualifier

 

Grp H (Confirmed)   Great Britain,  Romania,  China,  2nd Qualifier

 

Grp J  (unconfirmed)  Korea,  Poland,  Ukraine,  1st Qualifier

The placement of in this round means only one thing, that IIHF is counting with Russia & Belarus return...

 

Hungary is 19th in the ranking. We know that teams ranked up to 17th plays the Final Qualifying Round ( is 14th) so as such if BLR was not eligible to play another nation would have taken its place, and since the next one is (18th) which is obviously automatically qualified to the games as Host country, the next one to move up to the Final Qualifiying round would have been Hungary, so no need to be a nuclear physicist to understand IIHF is already counting with to qualify directly to the Olympics and to play the FInal Qualifying Round which would be played in Slovakia...

 

Simple maths

 

Final Qualifying Round is likely going to be

 

D- SVK, BLR, KAZ, 3rd Qualifier

E- LAT, FRA, AUT, 2nd Qualifier

F- DEN, NOR, SLO, 1st Qualifier

 

Still, hope dies last...people use to say... so, still we (I) hope this scenario will not occur at the end and Slovakia will qualify directly

Edited October 12, 2023 by hckošice