IIHF President Luc Tardif says the body will discuss the possibility of Novosibirsk hosting in the future ©Getty Images

International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) President Luc Tardif has said that the organisation will consider the possibility of hosting future events with Russia and Belarus' involvement later this year.

The IIHF is set to re-evaluate the ban on Russia and Belarus at its Congress scheduled to take place in May, and whether it is able to stage a tournament with the two countries in a "safe environment."

Novosibirsk was originally supposed to hold the 2023 edition, which ended yesterday, before the hosting rights were stripped by the IIHF in response to the invasion of Ukraine.

Halifax and Moncton in Canada were then selected to step in.

"For us the most important thing is whether we can play in a safe environment," said Tardif, which was confirmed to insidethegames by an IIHF spokesperson. 

"This tournament here was supposed to be played in Novosibirsk and Omsk. 

"Was it possible to play this tournament in Novosibirsk, travel there, safety of the teams, officials, staff, media, fans, also safety for the Russian and Belarusian teams at IIHF events? 

"Would it be possible to play the World Championship in St. Petersburg in May? 

"It was not possible. 

"We will re-evaluate the situation with Russia and Belarus every year at the Congress in May and whether we can have a tournament with Russia and Belarus in a safe environment. 

"But I can’t say now what the outcome will be. 

The 2023 IIHF World Junior Championships were supposed to take place in Novosibirsk before being moved to Canada in response to the invasion of Ukraine ©Getty Images
The 2023 IIHF World Junior Championships were supposed to take place in Novosibirsk before being moved to Canada in response to the invasion of Ukraine ©Getty Images

"The IIHF is a democratic institution. 

"The IIHF Council will do a recommendation and the Congress will decide."

Tardif then continued saying that a decision will be made at its next meeting on whether it is feasible to arrange a tournament in Novosibirsk again.

The IIHF Men's World Championship is set to take place in Finland and Latvia from May 12 to 28 after hosting rights were also taken away from Russia.

The event was initially due to take place in Saint Petersburg but was once again moved, a decision taken in line with the International Olympic Committee's recommendations to do so in February of last year.

The IIHF has also issued a reprimand against the Russian Ice Hockey Federation in recent months for failures to stop pro-war propaganda.

The IIHF Ethics Board referred the case to the IIHF Disciplinary Board after it came aware in March of propaganda being displayed at Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) matches.

This was deemed to have been a breach of the IIHF Ethics Code, specifically a dignity clause.