Another sporting victory for Russia. Hockey players return to the most important tournaments

In its statement of reasons, CAS emphasized that insufficient evidence had been provided to support the IIHF's concerns regarding participant safety. The Tribunal also emphasized that its decision does not address the issue of the possible presence of Russian athletes as neutral athletes, or other potential organizational consequences.

The federation is disappointed, the Russians are happy

The IIHF expressed disappointment with the ruling. As emphasized in the statement, the federation "continues to consider its decisions necessary to ensure the safety of all participants and to protect the integrity of the competition."

"While the IIHF respects the authority of CAS and will comply with its ruling, this decision does not eliminate the concerns that formed the basis of the federation's previous decisions," it mentioned.

Russian Minister of Sports and head of the local Olympic Committee (RKO), Mikhail Degtyarev, wrote on Telegram that CAS "recognized the demands of the Russian Ice Hockey Federation on key issues as justified."

Russia banned from the competition from 2022

Since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the IIHF has excluded Russia from the world championship. Its teams also did not take part in the Olympic hockey tournaments.

This summer, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided to temporarily lift the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee. This was considered another step on the way to the return of this country's representatives to international arenas. Restrictions on athletes from Russia and Belarus have been easing for a long time.

The CAS ruling is a direct challenge to the new head of the IIHF, Franz Reindl, from Germany, the country that will host the Elite World Championship next year.