Nov 4 (Reuters) – The International Ice Hockey Federation said on Wednesday it maintains its disagreement with a Court of Arbitration for Sport decision to reinstate Russian teams, warning of “significant practical and sporting challenges”.
The statement follows announcements from Norway, Denmark, Sweden and the Czech Republic that their national teams will refuse to play against Russia at next year’s men’s World Championships in Germany.
The CAS ruled last week to overturn the governing body’s exclusion of Russia from international competition following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
“As presented to the CAS, the immediate reintegration of Russian teams presents significant practical and sporting challenges, including visa and entry requirements, security provisions, logistical constraints and consequences for competition formats,” the IIHF said.
The decision has sparked widespread backlash. Latvia and Finland have also said their teams will not play Russia, while the Finnish city of Turku threatened to drop hosting duties for the 2028 World Junior Championship.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Russia and Belarus will be barred from the upcoming World Junior Championship in Alberta. Moscow criticised the move, with Russian ambassador Oleg Stepanov telling news agency TASS that Canada was “bringing politics even into junior hockey”.
The IIHF said it remains in dialogue with national associations, host authorities and organisers to determine the best path forward.
(Reporting by Tommy Lund in GdanskEditing by Christian Radnedge)
