National teams of Russia and Belarus have been banned by the IIHF since February last year due to the invasion of Ukraine.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has recommended that Russian and Belarusian athletes should be allowed to return to the global sporting stage as long as they do not support the war in Ukraine and are not affiliated to the military.

Russian and Belarusian teams remain banned by the IOC, although a decision on participation for Paris 2024 and Milan Cortina 2026 has yet to be made.

Speaking at the IIHF Women’s World Championships held in Canadian city Brampton, Tardif revealed that a decision on the readmission of Russia and Belarus will not be taken this year.

"First, I hope Russia and Belarus return to the IIHF very soon because that would mean that the war is over," he said.

"But we will make a final decision about those countries for Milan in March 2024 because soon after we will begin Olympic qualifications, and Belarus would need to be a part of that."

Russian city Saint Petersburg was originally due to stage this year’s men’s World Championship before being stripped of the rights last year in response to the war in Ukraine.

Tardif added that the safety of spectators and participating nations would form part of its decision to reintroduce Russia and Belarus - an argument slammed by the Russian Ice Hockey Federation which described it as an "invented reason" to block their return.

"I understand that there is sometimes a political approach," said Tardiff.

"As a human being, I have my own understanding of the situation.

"But with my IIHF cap on, I have to make a decision by following our Executive Committee and protecting our competition."

Speaking to Russia’s official state news agency TASS last year, Tardiff claimed that "everyone" wanted Russia and Belarus to return to the World Championships.

His comments came after 98 of the 119 delegates voted in favour of a mechanism that could see Russia and Belarus return to the top division of the World Championships should sanctions be lifted.

Ice hockey is played by Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko.

Belarus had been due to host the 2021 men's World Championship, but it was moved to Latvia because of safety and security issues after the controversial re-election of Lukashenko sparked protests and a subsequent Government crackdown.

Tardif's predecessor as IIHF President, the Swiss official René Fasel who had led the governing body from 1994 until 2021, acquired Russian citizenship in February.

Fasel has made a number of pro-Russian remarks and was a critic of sanctions imposed on the nation in response to the state-sponsored doping programme and the subsequent cover-up.

World Triathlon was the latest International Federation to lift its ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes.

Skateboarding, table tennis, taekwondo and wrestling are among sports which have indicated that they will also adhere with the IOC’s recommendations.

Others, including athletics, equestrian, sport climbing and surfing, have announced that their bans will remain in place.