International hockey federation confirms host China will play in Olympic men's tournament

Chris Bumbaca, USA TODAY
·2 min read

With NHL players expected to participate in men's ice hockey at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing – even as the pandemic muddies the situation – the level of play will be elite.

That caused the International Ice Hockey Federation to assess the caliber of the host country, China. No. 32 in the IIHF world rankings, China faced a series of defeats in the fall, after not playing since 2019, that thrust the team's competency into question.

"The Council confirmed that it will uphold the decision by the 2018 IIHF Congress to grant the Chinese men’s national team a host qualification position in the 2022 Olympic Games," the IIHF said in a release.

The China Ice Sports College hockey team practices on the ice during the Experience Beijing Ice Hockey Domestic Test Activity, a test event for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, at the National Indoor Stadium.
The China Ice Sports College hockey team practices on the ice during the Experience Beijing Ice Hockey Domestic Test Activity, a test event for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, at the National Indoor Stadium.

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The IIHF denied USA TODAY Sports' request to interview a member of the council about the discussions pertaining to the Chinese men's team. The IIHF also had no further comment on the matter, not explaining how or why it arrived at the decision.

Norway, ranked 11th in the world by the IIHF, would have replaced China if that were necessary. The top eight teams and China automatically qualified, with three other qualifiers determined in 2019 and 2020 round out the field of 12.

China is scheduled to play Germany (fifth in the IIHF rankings), Canada (first) and the U.S. (fourth) in Group A play at the Olympics.

It is rare for countries with host bids to face a talent chasm of this degree in team sports. IIHF president Luc Tardif began questioning China's prospects in September, telling Agence France-Presse that the team faced possible exclusion for "insufficient sporting standard."

"Watching a team being beaten 15-0 is not good for anyone, not for China or for ice hockey," he said.

The team played two games in Russia's pro league, the KHL, which IIHF officials evaluated. A decision was expected by the end of October, but officials took until this week's Council meeting to reach a conclusion.

The 20th-ranked China will also compete in women's hockey at the Winter Games.

Follow Chris Bumbaca on Twitter @BOOMbaca.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2022 Olympics: China will stay in men's hockey tournament, IIHF says