Zhurova: IIHF presidency change won't help Russia
Olympic champion and State Duma deputy Svetlana Zhurova says a new IIHF president elected at the Tenerife congress won't change Russia's status with the federation.
Svetlana Zhurova, an Olympic speed-skating champion and State Duma deputy, does not expect a change of president at the IIHF to alter Russia's standing with the federation. The congress on Tenerife runs from 30 September to 2 October, with a new president and new IIHF Council members to be elected; the results are due on 2 October.
"I am afraid the identity of the president is not always the decisive factor here. It all depends on which country he comes from and how the federation's governing bodies are formed, which countries the people who join them come from. All the voting depends on the influence of their countries over the members of the international federation. We understand that hockey, like football and chess, is practically a political sport, more politicised than almost any other. If the federation is concentrated with people who do not support Russia, then, unfortunately, a change of president will change nothing," she said.
Asked whether Aiaz Omorkanov of Kyrgyzstan could take the post, Zhurova was blunt: "Do you really believe he could be elected? Who is going to let Kyrgyzstan run the international ice hockey federation?" Pressed that the outgoing president, Luc Tardif, is French, and France is hardly a hockey nation, she replied: "France is Europe. Of course, the election of a candidate from Kyrgyzstan to the post of president is simply impossible. A good, honest attempt. I hope it leads to that person staying on in the federation's governing bodies and supporting us there."
Vyacheslav Fetisov, a two-time Olympic champion and three-time Stanley Cup winner, struck a similarly sceptical note about the same vote. Nine candidates are standing, including Omorkanov, who has argued for easing sanctions on Russia.
"Can you imagine a representative of Kyrgyzstan becoming IIHF president in this situation? Miracles happen, but probably not to that extent. At the very least, I expect nothing new or radical from whoever becomes president. Important matters are always decided collectively, and the policy that has taken shape towards Russia is perfectly clear," Fetisov said.
Tardif steps down after the congress; he was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame on 9 September in recognition of more than three decades spent growing the game worldwide. His own team have found the going hard at the World Championship Division I A, sitting third with no points after five matches.
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