
Finland, Sweden and the Czech Republic are boycotting the tournament with Russian participation; The federal government is considering a solution to keep Germany as the organizer.
AI-generated summary
The International Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) made a controversial ruling on Russian participation. Finland, Sweden and the Czech Republic announced a boycott. The federal government is consulting with associations about a solution to keep Germany as the host without endangering Munich's Olympic bid.
Our line is: We won't play against Russia. The head of the Finnish Ice Hockey Association announced this just a few days after the controversial ruling by the International Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
In addition to the reigning world champion Finland, other top ice hockey nations such as Sweden and the Czech Republic have also announced a boycott of the tournament. Donors of the tournament, including the main sponsor Skoda, have also stated that they do not want to support a tournament with Russian participation.
Return the tournament?
The federal government has been consulting with the affected associations for days. Government spokesman Stefan Kornelius: "The Federal Chancellery's discussions with the Ice Hockey Federation, the German Olympic Sports Confederation and the President of the International Ice Hockey Federation have shown that Russia's participation, in view of this widespread rejection, makes the tournament practically impossible from a sporting and economic point of view."
The federal government now wants to support the German Ice Hockey Association in its efforts to find a solution in which Germany can continue to host the tournament. The head of the German Ice Hockey Association, Frank Lutz, had previously discussed the possibility of returning the tournament.
Özoğuz: Prevent “sports political propaganda show”.
The deputy chairman of the Sports and Volunteering Committee in the Bundestag, Jens Lehmann from the CDU, thinks this is the wrong approach: "I am of the opinion that we should not give them back. We are in the Olympic bid and should fundamentally stick to the decision to host it." Lehmann would also not rule out ultimately denying Russian athletes visas in order to prevent them from entering the country.
The chairwoman of the committee, Aydan Özoğuz (SPD), described Russia's return to the international sports stage as a wrong signal. A “sports diplomacy” propaganda show in German arenas must be prevented.
Left-wing politicians against entry ban
There are voices in the opposition ranks who are in favor of hosting the tournament with Russian participation. The left-wing politician Jan Van Aken is of the opinion that you are punishing the wrong people when you deny entry to Russian athletes: "I think we should never forget that in sport, normal people from different countries come together who otherwise have no opportunity at all. And to take that away from them now because Putin has launched a war of aggression against Ukraine that violates international law is not right."
The AfD's sports policy spokesman, Jörn König, is also in favor of Russia taking part in the Ice Hockey World Cup in Germany: "We are also of the opinion that politicians should issue visas or that the authorities should issue visas, because sport and politics should fundamentally be separated."
A dilemma
The situation remains tricky for the federal government. If you allow the tournament to take place regularly, you will end up with a World Cup that is boycotted by sponsors and associations, which could end up being misused by Russia for propaganda purposes.
If you prevent Russian athletes from entering the country, you could potentially ruin your chances of the Olympic Games in Munich. The Olympic Committee is in favor of allowing Russia to take part in the games again in the future and will closely monitor how the federal government deals with the Ice Hockey World Cup.
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
The federal government will decide to keep the World Cup in Germany and look for a solution with the German Ice Hockey Association.
Likely · Within days
The Olympic Committee will closely monitor the federal government's handling of the Ice Hockey World Cup.
Very likely · Within weeks
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