A former Latvian national team hockey player could lose his coaching license for playing in the KHL
The Latvian Council of Sports Federations will consider revoking the coaching license of former national team goalkeeper Jānis Kalniņš. The decision is based on his participation with the Russian club "Amur" in the Kontinental Hockey League following the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
This was reported with reference to LSM.
The reason for the decision may be Kalniņš’s play for Khabarovsk’s “Amur” after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. He played for the team in the KHL during the 2022/23 and 2023/24 seasons. It is noted that this could be viewed as a violation of ethical principles.
“This is a very complex issue—on the one hand, it restricts labor rights, but we must certainly look to the future and assess proportionality.
We have also submitted proposals to the Latvian Ministry of Education and Science regarding amendments to the relevant regulation; there are also provisions for assessing ethical issues in the context of suspending coaching certifications.
In addition, there is a commission that can make a decision on this matter,” said the organization’s chairman, Volodymyr Šteinbergs.
The 34-year-old Kalniņš has ended his professional career. As a goalkeeper for the Latvian national team, he played in two World Championships (2017, 2021) and the Olympic Games (2022).
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