The Kunlun hockey club denied data on the deprivation of citizenship of players

The press service of the Chinese hockey club Kunlun Red Star reported that the information about the cancellation of the Chinese passports of the club’s players is invalid. Previously “Sport-Express” reportedthat the passports of more than 10 club players who were not born in China were declared invalid.

“The information that appeared earlier about the status of the passports of Kunlun Red Star hockey players does not correspond to reality, its source is unknown to the club,” the club’s press service said in a statement (quoted from TASS).

According to Sport-Express, the passports of players who were not born in China but received local citizenship after they began playing for the club in the KHL were revoked. According to the publication’s source, the passports were declared invalid due to the hockey players’ refusal to arrive at the location of the Chinese national team to participate in the qualifying matches for the 2026 Olympics.

The Chinese team took third place in the qualifying tournament (February 8-11) and failed to qualify for the Olympics. The team lost to Great Britain (1:10), Romania (1:6) and beat Serbia (7:5). Not a single Kunlun representative was included in the Chinese team. The club has been playing for the KHL since the 2016/17 season, when it reached the playoffs for the only time.