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Austria Now News – Austria
Several European ice hockey federations threatened on Tuesday to boycott the 2027 World Championship after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) paved the way for Russian national teams to return to international tournaments. Following world champions Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Latvia and the Czech Republic announced they would not play against Russia at tournaments of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF).
We do not play against Russia
The president of the Finnish federation, Heikki Hietanen, said in a statement: Our line is clear, we do not play against Russia. He added that his country is seeking to bring together as many countries as possible in a common front to inform the international federation of this position. The Norwegian federation said Russia must remain excluded from all international tournaments as long as the war in Ukraine continues, pointing to major security risks for players and coaching staff.
The CAS ruling
Last week the court upheld the Russian federation’s appeal against the international federation and, with immediate effect, also overturned the exclusion of Russian teams for the 2026–2027 season. Russia is therefore entitled to take part in the World Championship scheduled for May 2027 in Germany, having been excluded since the end of February 2022 because of the war against Ukraine.
Germany may hand back the tournament
The German Ice Hockey Federation (DEB) is examining whether it can host the tournament as planned. Its board chairman Frank Lutz said he did not want to be pessimistic or cast doubt on the tournament, but the federation had to consider the option of handing it back. The German government also described the court’s ruling as highly questionable, saying it would soon hold talks with the federation on its consequences for the 2027 championship.
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Sources
ORF Sport, Eishockey-WM: Breite Front gegen Russlands Teilnahme, 03.11.2026, https://sport.orf.at/stories/3164429/
