Visitors take pictures of the flame of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games displayed at the Olympic Tower near the “Bird’s Nest” National Stadium in Beijing on October 23, 2021. The public will be able to book tickets to visit the flame, which landed in Beijing on October 20 from Athens, Greece. Photo: VCG

 
Ice hockey's world governing body has decided not to ­remove the Chinese men's team from the upcoming Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games.

Following a three-day Council meeting in Zurich, Switzerland, the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) stated Tuesday that they have no plans to rule China directly out of the competition at the Games.

"The IIHF and the ­Chinese Ice Hockey Association [CIHA] are working together to schedule two games with the Chinese national team in a joint effort to evaluate the status of the team's preparations for Beijing 2022," read a release on the sport's ruling body's website.

"The eligible national team players will compete as part of Kunlun Red Star in the KHL team's league games on 15 and 17 November. Following the games, the IIHF Council will reconvene to ­discuss the next steps forward."

Newly elected IIHF president Luc Tardif, who said in September that the Chinese men's team could be prevented from playing due to its "­insufficient sporting standard," briefed the Council on the team's status and reviewed the eligibility status of the players.

"To be clear, the IIHF is not going to remove the ­Chinese team from the Olympic Games, the status of the men's national team as a host nation participant in the Olympic ice hockey tournament was confirmed by Congress and remains unchanged," Tardif said. "We are working with the CIHA to confirm their player eligibility according to IIHF rules, and we will continue to assist them as they work towards preparing their team for the Olympic Games."