Will NHL Teams Send Top Prospects to Summer WJC? Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MTg3NzM4MDYzNjA1MDgxMzQz/usatsi_17728979.jpg] The aftermath of Russia's unprovoked military attack against Ukraine last week continues to be felt across the sporting world. On Monday morning [https://olympics.com/ioc/news/ioc-eb-recommends-no-participation-of-russian-and-belarusian-athletes-and-officials], the Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee released a statement urging sports organizations across the world to prohibit Russian players and teams from participating while their home country carries out an unlawful invasion against another country. "While athletes from Russia and Belarus would be able to continue to participate in sports events, many athletes from Ukraine are prevented from doing so because of the attack on their country," the IOC said in a statement. "In order to protect the integrity of global sports competitions and for the safety of all the participants, the IOC EB recommends that International Sports Federations and sports event organizers not invite or allow the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials in international competitions." This announcement comes on the heels of a weekend that saw numerous international sports entities level consequences against Russia for its unjust actions. On Thursday, Formula One racing canceled the Russian Grand Prix scheduled to be hosted in Saint Petersburg from Sept. 23-25, while UEFA stripped Russia of its hosting duties for the Champions League Final that was meant to take place on May. 28 in Sochi, but will now be moved to France. It wasn't soon after those announcements that two teams announced their respective withdrawals from the Russian-based KHL, with Jokerit Helsinki pausing their season indefinitely on Friday, followed shortly by Dynamo Riga pulling out of the league entirely on Saturday. The soccer world, however, laid down perhaps the biggest sanction of all, with FIFA announcing on Monday morning that they have suspended Russia from all international competition indefinitely. The IIHF held a meeting on Monday to discuss the future of Russia's participation, with news expected later in the day.
