Algeria, Bahrain, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Morocco, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, the United Arab Emirates and Uzbekistan are the 13 countries who have joined the Association.

They are joined by the Republic of Tatarstan within Russia, which has Kazan as its capital and Islam as a major faith.

Kazan is set to be the headquarters of the Association for the Development of Ice Hockey of Islamic Countries, and the agreement on its formation was signed at the Volga Region State University of Physical Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Maganov was elected as its President.

He is the chief executive of oil and gas company Tatneft, and has an interest in ice hockey as President of Kontinental Hockey League club Ak Bars Kazan and the Tatarstan Ice Hockey Federation.

Maganov is listed on the Ukrainian Government website as an individual "awaiting sanctions", with the Kyiv administration calling on "world Governments to sanction this person for their support of Russia’s war against Ukraine".

His brother Ravil Maganov was the chairman of Moscow-based Lukoil and a critic of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Ravil Maganov died in September after falling out of a hospital window where he had been being treated for a heart condition, with Lukoil attributing his death to "a severe illness".

The Association for the Development of Ice Hockey of Islamic Countries has been created with the aim of promoting cooperation in the development of ice hockey between its members, organising joint sports tournaments and exchanging experiences.

It is aimed at states where the leading religion is Islam, and hopes to popularise ice hockey in Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

Teams of the member countries took part in a tournament in Kazan.

Ice Hockey Federation of the Kyrgyz Republic President Anvar Omorkanov was elected as vice-president of the Association for Asia, and believes it will serve to develop the sport among its members.

"Today, an agreement was signed on the formation of the Islamic Countries Hockey Development Association," Omorkanov said, as reported by Russian state-owned news agency TASS.

"Its goal is the development of hockey in Islamic countries.

"You all know that in these countries, hockey is at the initial stage of development and has been at least 10 years old.

"We have a lot to learn from the club Ak Bars and teams from Tatarstan, where there is a great history of the development of hockey.

"We recently went to the Ak Bars base and were simply amazed at what level the athletes are preparing.

"And for Islamic countries this will be a great experience for the development of hockey."

Omorkanov hopes that ice hockey can be added to the Islamic Solidarity Games programme, and believes more countries could be added to the Association in the future.

UAE Winter Sports Federation vice-president Hamel al-Qubeisi has been elected as the Association's vice-president for the Middle East region.

The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) has said it will not recognise the Association.

"The International Ice Hockey Federation has taken note of media reports concerning the founding of the Association for the Development of Hockey of Islamic Countries in Kazan, Russia," it told insidethegames.

"Currently the IIHF Statutes only provide a membership possibility to ice hockey associations that are the governing body of ice in their respective sovereign state. 

"The IIHF Statutes neither provide for membership, nor have a procedure for recognition, of a federation that is made up of IIHF member or non-member ice hockey associations/federations. 

"As such, at this time, the IIHF will not recognize the Association for the Development of Hockey of Islamic Countries."

Russia and Belarus are unable to participate in IIHF events due to the war in Ukraine, and this year's Men's World Championship was moved from Saint Petersburg to Tampere and Riga.