Russia's international hockey ban lifted, prompting backlash from IIHF, other countries: 'Incomprehensible'
The Court of Arbitration for Sport has ruled that Russian teams can compete in next year's men's and women's world championships, overturning the International Ice Hockey Federation's exclusion decisions.
The decision comes after Russia was excluded from most international ice hockey competitions since 2022 following the country's invasion of Ukraine. The IIHF had maintained its decisions were necessary to protect safety and competition integrity.
Russia did not compete in Olympic hockey earlier this year, the first since 2014 with NHL players, nor was it included in the NHL's 4 Nations Face-Off. The invasion began on Feb. 24, 2022, four days after that year's Olympic competition ended.
International Opposition
The ruling was met with strong resistance from the IIHF and several countries, including Canada, Germany, Finland, Czechia, Sweden and Austria. Canada will maintain restrictions on Russian athletes at government-funded events.
Canada maintains, as it has since 2022, that Russia should not be represented in international sport competitions while Russia's illegal and unjustifiable full-scale invasion against Ukraine continues.
Russia's Response
Russia's sports minister Mikhail Degtyarev celebrated the decision, stating 'discrimination in hockey has been brought to an end' and 'this place rightfully belongs to us.' The country has won five IIHF world titles as an independent nation.
Ukraine's ice hockey federation denounced the ruling, noting that 'the threats that were the reason for suspending Russian teams in 2022 have not disappeared. On the contrary, they have only intensified.' The first affected tournament will be the World Juniors, with Germany hosting next year's World Championships.
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