Five major ice hockey nations refuse to face Russia after its reinstatement at the Worlds by the Court of Arbitration for Sport

The slingshot rises. Four major hockey countries declared on Tuesday, November 3, their refusal to face Russia during the next ice hockey world championships due to the war in Ukraine. Following in the footsteps of Finland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and the Czech Republic published press releases announcing their position, in response to the reinstatement of Russia imposed on Friday October 30 by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

The sporting jurisdiction ordered Russia's return to the ice hockey world championships this season, against the advice of the International Federation (IIHF) which has banned Russian athletes from its competitions since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The Nordic countries are loyal supporters of Ukraine and the Norwegian Ice Hockey Federation indicated on Tuesday that it "will not face Russia during the 2027 world championships".

“We don’t see ourselves playing against Russia in the current situation”

“Our position that Russia must be excluded from all international championships for the duration of the war in Ukraine remains unchanged,” she stressed, but assured that she wanted to play the other group matches as planned. “For the sake of the integrity of ice hockey, we do not see ourselves playing against Russia in the current situation. It would end in chaos if we did,” argued the president of the Danish federation, Henrik Bach Nielsen, to the Ritzau agency.

On the Swedish side, the federation recalled that it remained "inconceivable that Russia would take part in international ice hockey as long as the war in Ukraine continues." “Swedish national teams will not play matches against Russian national teams,” it said in a statement. “No one should doubt the position of the Czech Republic,” said the general secretary of the Czech hockey federation Jan Cerny, “we have clearly rejected the return of the Russian national teams to international competition in the current situation.”

The Russians on the ice at the Junior Worlds at the end of December in Canada

According to the Russian Minister of Sports, Mikhail Degtiarev, following the CAS decision, the first competition in which Russian hockey players will participate will be the junior world championships in Canada, from December 26, 2026 to January 5, 2027. The men's world championships must then take place in Germany in May 2027, then the women's edition in November 2027 in Canada.

On Monday, Finland, the reigning senior men's champion, said it would use "all possible means" to prevent Russia's reintegration. The Finnish city of Turku announced for its part that it would give up organizing the junior world championships in 2027-2028 if neighboring Russia were to participate.