International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach has expressed regret that most of the world's best ice hockey players will miss the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Games because the NHL is not interrupting its season.
World ice hockey federation chief Rene Fasel had said earlier in the week that the case was now closed, after talks had continued following a NHL refusal in April to let the stars play in South Korea.
"I feel very sorry for those players. It is hard to understand from the NHL side," Bach said on Friday at the IOC Session in Peru, adding that an agreement would have been "very favourable" for the NHL.
The NHL participated at the last five Olympics since 1998 with 706 players overall. Teams like Canada, the US, Finland, Sweden Russia and the Czech Republic were mainly comprised of players from the strongest league in the world.
Ice hockey is a major sport at the Olympics, and many NHL stars including Russia's Alexander Ovechkin had aimed to play in Pyeongchang. Their last hope are now club owners who allow them to fulfil their Olympic dreams.
"I would wish that some club owners would show their appreciation for the players who want to go, and let them participate in what they say is the highlight of their career," Bach said.
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