Belarusian Sergei Goncharov Elected to the IIHF Council – What This Means for National Hockey

Hockey federations from several countries were surprised when Belarusian representative Sergei Goncharov joined the new IIHF Council during the organization's semi-annual congress in Spain in early October. Andrei Bashko, Secretary General of the Belarusian Ice Hockey Association, revealed this in an exclusive interview with First Information chanel.

The election of the Belarusian official secures a seat for the country on the governing body responsible for making key decisions regarding the sport's development.

It is worth noting that this is not the official's first experience working with the IIHF; from 2008 to 2021, he served on the federation's Competition Committee, sat on the organization's Council, and headed the Officiating Department.

Andrei Bashko, Secretary General of the Belarus' Ice Hockey Association:

"This will allow us to advocate for our position more vigorously, as we know Sergei to be an honest, open, and amiable person who passionately champions the interests of the sport rather than engaging in backroom politics. A vast number of Belarusian hockey players are currently denied the opportunity to represent their country on the international stage. I hope the newly constituted Council will take this into account and that the situation will be resolved in the best interests of the sport."

The national ice hockey federation is doing everything in its power—and even the seemingly impossible—to ensure that the Belarusian national team can participate in the World Championship scheduled for May 2027. So far, the IIHF has reinstated only the boys' youth team and two girls' teams (the senior national squad and the U-18 team) for competitions held under its auspices.