The CAS ruling that the Russians can play is not being well received.
The hockey world is revolting after the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that the International Ice Hockey Federation must allow Russia to participate in IIHF competitions. The International Ice Hockey Federation threw Russia out of its tournaments following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The court’s ruling has not been welcomed in a number of countries including Canada which hosts the IIHF World Junior Ice Hockey Championship which begins on December 26th in Alberta. The Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canada will not issue visas to athletes representing Russia as long as the war in Ukraine continues. If Russia competes in the 2027 World Championship in Germany, the IIHF may lose sponsors including a Czech automaker, a German workwear company, a Swedish office manufacturer and a company from Finland.
The IIHF might have to move the 2027 and 2028 World Championships which usually take place in the spring. The German Ice Hockey Federation may pull out of hosting the 2027 event and Turku, Finland officials said they will not be hosting the 2028 world junior tourney if the war that Russia started against Ukraine is not ended soon. International Ice Hockey Federation officials are “carefully analyzing the scenarios around the CAS ruling”. The IIHF statement admitted there is a significant problem. “The global impact of the decision made by the CAS panel and the challenges it creates for all involved were significantly underestimated.” Meanwhile the Russian Olympic Committee plans to file a complaint with the International Olympic Committee against Sweden, Norway, Finland, Canada, the Czech Republic, Latvia, and Denmark for threatening to boycott games against Russian hockey teams in various tournaments. The Russians have been pushing sports organizations to let their teams compete in various events. The IOC has capitulated but fierce opposition remains.
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