What is the biggest difference between the Winter Olympics and the Summer Olympics? The answer is simple, that is, the sport is more suitable for summer or winter.
For example, ice and snow sports such as freestyle skiing aerial skills are completely impossible to appear in the Summer Olympic Games, and it is also proved that marathons, open water swimming and other sports cannot be seen in the Winter Olympics.
During the Beijing Winter Olympics, there was a proposal that had entered the stage of discussion, that is, to move one of the trump events of the Winter Olympic Games to the Summer Olympic Committee.
This project is ice hockey!
On February 17, Beijing time, THE PRESIDENT OF THE ICE FEDERATION, Tadif, revealed that the INTERNATIONAL ICE FEDERATION has discussed with the relevant personnel of the NHL (North American Professional Ice Hockey League) and exchanged information on the ice hockey events of the 2026 Winter Olympics.
The NHL gathers the vast majority of the world's top stars, and the league's president, Gary Bateman, said that if you want the Olympic ice hockey event to be full of stars, the best way is to have ice hockey events join the Summer Olympics!
Winter events, joining the Summer Olympics, sounds like a fantasy, but it's not. Gary Bateman revealed that the NHL has discussed related issues with the IOC. If this plan is successful, it will be a great benefit for both ice hockey and the Olympic Games, including the players.
The NHL season basically starts in October of each year, the date of the Winter Olympics, which coincides with the NHL race crash. Four years ago at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, the NHL refused to send players to compete.
Ice hockey has played an important role in the history of the Winter Olympics, and the collective absence of top stars has dimmed the ice hockey game at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.
At that time, the NHL North American Professional Hockey League's executive vice president of media and international strategy said that to let our players participate in the Pyeongchang Olympics, we needed to suspend our league, and the rewards for participating in the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics were not enough, so we would refuse to release people.
Before the Beijing Winter Olympics, the NHL gladly decided to release people, unfortunately, due to the large-scale outbreak of positive cases in the NHL, the league was forced to suspend, and the NHL players regretted that they did not qualify for the Beijing Winter Olympics.
So why does the NHL say that if no one is released, the players will not represent their home countries in the Winter Olympics?
NHL players and teams are all signed contracts, NHL player contracts are often tens of millions, even hundreds of millions, leaving the team without permission, is an obvious breach of contract.
What if hockey joins the Summer Olympics? First of all, ice hockey is played indoors and is not subject to the influence of the natural climate. Second, the Summer Olympics are held at the time of the NHL's offseason, and players can participate without any obstacles.
If ice hockey does join the Summer Olympics, it will undoubtedly create an Olympic precedent. So, which Summer Olympics event is suitable for the Winter Olympics?