SZĽH President Miroslav Šatan. (source: TASR - Milan Kapusta)
Slovak ice-hockey players who will play in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) will not be banned from representing Slovakia at international tournaments.
Amid Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, the Slovak Ice Hockey Federation (SZĽH) announced the controversial decision on September 8.
“We believe the players who are currently playing in Russia do not violate neither international agreements nor our laws,” the federation said, citing the Olympic Charter that defines sport as “a instrument of unification”.
The federation went even further and compared the hostility towards athletes to the war in Ukraine.
