The Executive Board of the Indonesian Ice Hockey Federation explained the differences in naturalization requirements for ice hockey players compared to other sports, such as soccer.
The Indonesian Institute of Sciences (FHEI) recently naturalized four Russian ice hockey players: Evgenii Nurislamov, Adel Khabibullin, Artem Bezrukov, and Savelii Molchanov. The four players took the oath of Indonesian citizenship at the Ministry of Law building in Jakarta on Sunday.
"Well, as mentioned earlier in the ice hockey regulations, to be able to compete representing Indonesia, there is one more requirement: players from abroad must have played in the local league for a minimum of two years," said FHEI Secretary General Wiwin Salim in Jakarta on Sunday.
"So, they've been around the ice hockey community for quite some time. We scouted the two young players from Russia, who we thought had potential, but they've never represented Russia," he continued.
By comparison, for soccer, an athlete with no Indonesian heritage at all must reside in Indonesia for five consecutive years. This requirement does not apply if a player has Indonesian ancestry through either their father's or mother's or grandparents' lines.
The four ice hockey athletes were naturalized by the FHEI to bolster the Indonesian national team for the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand, which will take place next December. However, Wiwin added that the national ice hockey team is indeed being prepared to compete in future events.
