‘Violating international rules’: Russian Olympic boss hits out at US after decision to deny youth ice hockey captain a visa
The president of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC), Stanislav Pozdnyakov, said that the US had “violated international rules” by refusing to give a Russian ice hockey player a visa before the upcoming world championship.
Ivan Miroshnichenko, the leader of the national junior squad, will be forced to skip the 2021 IIHF World U18 Championship in Texas after US officials rejected his visa application without clarifying the reason for the denial.
“I treat it negatively, all international events, especially major competitions should grant participation to all competitors,” Pozdnykaov said about the Miroshnichenko situation.
“A host country is obliged to provide access to all participants, but in this case, we see that this rule has been violated. It’s a shame that such respectful countries breach international rules,” the four-time Olympic winner added.
The Avangard Omsk forward was set to captain the national team at the global tournament before the US authorities denied him entrance to the country.
“We received a letter which said that Ivan Miroshnicheno cannot cross the US border. The decision was issued by the US Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) and cannot be appealed or overturned," the Russian Ice Hockey Federation said.
"Earlier, Ivan faced similar problems when he wanted to play in North American leagues, but was denied a Canadian visa. Now the USCIS denied his entrance to the country.”
The 2021 IIHF World U18 Championship is set to take place in the US from April 26 to May 6.
