Russia reinstatement U20 World Junior Championship after CAS ruling, Digi Mart USA News: The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) has begun reintegrating Russia into the U20 World Junior Championship in Canada following a ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) allowing Russian ice hockey teams to compete in international tournaments. According to the Swiss federation, participating nations have received an adjusted schedule.
Russia would be placed tenth and take the place of Norway in Group B. However, the team’s participation in the tournament in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta, from December 26, 2026, to January 5, 2027, is considered unrealistic.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney recently reaffirmed that the Russian team may not compete despite the reinstatement.
Should Russia be included, it would face Switzerland. However, the board of Swiss Ice Hockey said that, given the ongoing war in Ukraine and current circumstances, it would not play against the Russian team.
The board stated that this decision is explicitly not equivalent to withdrawing from the World Championship.
Looking ahead to the 2027 World Championship in Germany, Swiss officials had said they would not yet join the boycott by many nations and would wait for IIHF decisions. The IIHF said it intends to keep “all available options” open for the tournament in Gelsenkirchen, Düsseldorf and Mannheim in May and to hold talks with all affected national federations, including the Russian one.
The German Ice Hockey Federation (DEB) has not received an adjusted schedule.
Besides Switzerland and the Canadian hosts, the United States, defending champion Sweden, Latvia, Finland, Germany, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Norway have qualified for the junior world championship. If Russia is admitted, Norway would have to be relegated to Division I.
Last Friday, the CAS ruled that Russia may return to international tournaments despite its ongoing war of aggression in Ukraine. DEB chief executive Frank Lutz said on the sidelines of the Deutschland Cup in Düsseldorf on Saturday that the federation has a strong interest in resolving the matter as quickly as possible because ticket sales are underway.
He said the DEB wants clarity this year for planning the May 2027 world championship and expressed optimism that a solution would be found soon.
The German federal government said through spokesman Stefan Kornelius last Friday that it considers a World Championship in Germany possible only without Russian participation. The federal government could ensure this, for example, by not issuing visas to Russian players.
Lutz said this is possible, adding that the government ultimately decides who enters the country, though he described it as a last resort.
With regard to Munich’s Olympic bid, the government does not yet want to take that step. Instead, the IIHF is searching for solutions, which must ensure the financial stability and long-term future of international ice hockey.
The IIHF reaffirmed its rejection of the CAS decision. Several nations, led by world champion Finland, announced they would not play against Russia.
A number of sponsors threatened to halt payments to the IIHF and the World Championship hosts if Russian teams participate. The IIHF said it would take the steps required by CAS for Russia’s return but will seek to persuade the Russian federation to withdraw through diplomatic channels, aiming to find “a constructive path that serves the interests of world ice hockey.”
The German government had previously pledged its support to the IIHF and DEB in diplomatic negotiations and said the World Championship in Germany should take place. Only if the IIHF fails to persuade Russia to withdraw would the federal government take action itself.
Lutz also urged the IIHF to find new arguments for excluding Russia, noting that CAS said the arguments previously provided were insufficient.
By contrast, the IIHF has already made a decision regarding Belarus. The men’s and U20 national teams of Belarus, which supports Russia in its war of aggression against Ukraine, may not participate in upcoming World Championship tournaments.
The IIHF Disciplinary Committee decided there is no legal basis for ordering their immediate reinstatement.
