The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has determined that national teams from Russia are permitted to compete in the upcoming World Championships for both men and women, reversing the International Ice Hockey Federation’s (IIHF) decision to exclude them from its competitions.
On Friday, October 30, CAS accepted appeals filed by the Russian Ice Hockey Federation against the IIHF’s prohibition of Russian participation in the 2026-27 competitions.
The Lausanne-based tribunal stated that the IIHF failed to provide sufficient evidence to substantiate its claim that security concerns warranted Russia’s continued exclusion from the contests. The first tournament affected by this ruling is the World Junior Championship in Canada, set to commence on December 26.
The court specified that its ruling does not address whether Russian teams should compete under a neutral flag without national symbols, as has been the case for athletes from the country in other sports.
Since 2022, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the IIHF has excluded Russia, which has won five IIHF World Championships as an independent nation, from most international ice hockey competitions.
“Russia is returning to world hockey. This place rightfully belongs to us, and discrimination in hockey has ended,” stated Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyarev to state television channel Vesti, according to Reuters.
IIHF Responds to CAS Decision
The international federation expressed disappointment regarding the ruling. “IIHF disagrees with this aspect of the decision and maintains that its actions were necessary to protect the safety and security of all participants and uphold the integrity of its competitions,” stated the governing body of ice hockey.
Hockey Canada, the governing body for ice hockey in Canada, expressed similar discontent and is seeking clarification on the potential impact this decision may have on upcoming tournaments.
“While the implications of the ruling are not immediately clear, our organization is in contact with the IIHF to gather more information and we look forward to understanding better the potential impact this decision will have on national member associations of the IIHF and future competitions,” Hockey Canada stated in a communication.
Ukrainian Federation’s Response
The Ukrainian ice hockey federation condemned the ruling while respecting CAS’s authority. “We wish to express our deep indignation at this decision, made in the context of a large-scale war. The threats that led to the suspension of Russian teams in 2022 have not disappeared. On the contrary, they have intensified,” the federation stated on its official website.
We believe that the safety of participants and the integrity of international sport cannot be considered separately from the realities of the war that Russia continues to wage against Ukraine – Ukrainian federation statement
Germany, which will host the men’s World Championship in May, noted significant implications for the tournament resulting from the ruling.
“Our position remains unchanged: we reject the return of Russian national teams to international ice hockey tournaments,” stated Frank H. Lutz, president of the German Ice Hockey Federation.
The Czech Ice Hockey Association, which will host the Under-18 Women’s World Championship in January, expressed being “very unpleasantly surprised” by the decision.
“The current position of the Czech Ice Hockey Association does not change with CAS’s ruling,” said Jan Cerny, the association’s general secretary.
Other European nations, including Sweden, Finland, and Austria, have also criticized the decision. “Our position is that, in the current situation, Russia cannot participate in international championships,” stated Anders Larsson, president of the Swedish Ice Hockey Association.
