The International Ice Hockey Federation IIHF has asked its ethics committee to investigate the former chairman René Fasel for his connections to Russia and statements about the war in Ukraine.
Among other things, Fasel has been critical of the fact that Russia has been shut down from international competition and is said to have started working as a consultant for the KHL.
The International Ice Hockey Federation has asked the ethics committee to investigate whether René Fasel has violated the federation’s ethical regulations through his actions.
Fasel was chairman of the IIHF for 27 years, between 1994–2021. He was later appointed honorary chairman for life. During his presidency, the Swiss developed close ties with Russia and President Vladimir Putin. In 2011, he was awarded the Russian Order of Friendship, which is the highest award a foreigner can receive in Russia.
René Fasel is said to have, among other things, spoken out against the decision to shut down Russia and Belarus, in an interview with the Russian sports site Championat .
– You must not use sports as sanctions, he said, among other things.
In addition, it has been reported that Fasel has started a new job as a consultant for the Russian ice hockey league KHL to work on enlargement and strategy issues, after the Finnish Jokerit and Latvian Dinamo Riga left the league after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
If the IIHF’s ethics committee considers that René Fasel has violated the rules, the matter is forwarded to the association’s disciplinary committee.
The Russian Ice Hockey Federation is also to be investigated by the ethics committee for having sent instructions to the KHL clubs to take a stand for Russia in the war.
