PSK Sakhalin stated their elimination was right down to ‘political’ causes
Russian group PSK Sakhalin have introduced that they’ve been banned from the 2022/23 season of Asia League Ice Hockey (ALIH) after a choice was taken by rival golf equipment primarily based on “political” causes.
Sakhalin shared the information on their social media accounts, saying that that they had been knowledgeable of the step after a videoconference on Tuesday.
“Following the assembly, the management of the league, in settlement with the groups, determined to take away Russian athletes from participation within the event of the 2022-2023 season with the wording ‘as a result of political state of affairs,’” learn a message from the group.
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Based mostly in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk on the island of Sakhalin within the Russian far east, the group was based in 2013 with the encouragement of Russian president and famous hockey fanatic Vladimir Putin.
Sakhalin received the ALIH title within the 2018/19 season, and shared the highest prize in a Covid-affected marketing campaign within the following yr.
The ALIH was arrange in 2003 and is made up of groups from South Korea and Japan, having beforehand featured organizations from China as nicely.
The official league web site had not made point out of the sanctions in opposition to Sakhalin on the time of writing.
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Russian athletes and groups have confronted widespread bans for the reason that launch of the army operation in Ukraine.
The Worldwide Olympic Committee (IOC) really useful to all sports activities federations that they do not want to ask Russian and Belarusian athletes to competitions – a stance which IOC president Thomas Bach later claimed was partly for the protection of rivals from the 2 nations.
Russian officers have decried the bans as discriminatory and undermining the precept of sport being free from political interference.
Some nations reminiscent of Sweden, Finland and Latvia have stated any of their gamers who proceed to seem for Russian hockey groups within the KHL (Kontinental Hockey League) will now not be thought of for nationwide group choice.
