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Paul Bissonnette makes his feelings known about Russia's participation at 2026 Winter Olympics
On the 529th episode of "Spittin' Chiclets", telecast on October 29, Paul Bissonnette shared his thoughts on Russia’s possible return to the Olympics. In a clip posted on X, he wrote:
"The hockey world needs Russia to compete at the Olympics."
In the clip, Bissonnette said he hopes Russia can participate in the 2026 Winter Olympics despite current issues. Bissonnette also talked about the serious issues with Russia, including past doping controversies and current geopolitical tensions.
"The Russian thing, I would have to think that they're in the Olympics," Bissonnette said. "I get all the things going on overseas, and that's a very serious topic. Some of the blood doping and the cheating is part of the reason."
However, Paul Bissonnette explained that Russian stars like Alexander Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin bring something special to Olympic hockey. He believes 2026 may be their last chance to compete internationally, which would be a big loss for fans if they are not there.
"I hope that they figure things out, and Russia is going to be able to be represented at the Olympics, because I think it would be a shame if we don't get to see Ovi and Malkin play on an international competition against the best of Canada and that US has to offer."
The situation remains uncertain as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) suspended the Russian Olympic Committee on October 12, 2023, due to the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Russian athletes were already banned from team events at the 2024 Olympics, and the IIHF will decide on Russia’s hockey participation in early 2025.
Paul Bissonnette hopes a solution allows Russia to compete, saying it would be a shame to miss seeing Ovechkin and Malkin play.
The situation involving IOC and ROC paints a different story than what Paul Bissonnette hopes
On October 12, 2023, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) suspended the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC). This suspension stops the ROC from acting as a National Olympic Committee and cuts its funding from the Olympic Movement.
The IOC took this step after the ROC included Ukrainian regional sports groups from Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia, violating Ukraine’s recognized boundaries. However, the IOC allowed individual Russian athletes to compete as neutrals in 2024 and they will likely do so in the 2026 Olympics.
Stanislav Pozdnyakov, president of the ROC, is not optimistic about Russian athletes competing in 2026.
"It’s quite a difficult question," Pozdnyakov said in September, per thesportsexaminer.com. "If we look retrospectively at the number of international federations that allow Russians to compete, it’s not high, to be honest ... Therefore, the prospects are difficult."
Pozdnyakov said future decisions on Russian involvement depend largely on global politics. He hopes Russia can eventually restore its role in the Olympic community. Paul Bissonnette hopes the same, but the likelihood is still unclear.
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