Germany Ice Hockey World Championship 2027 Russia participation, Digi Mart USA News (Berlin): One week after the controversial ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to lift the suspension of Russian teams from international ice hockey, the German government has stated that the World Championship in Düsseldorf and Mannheim will take place, possibly without Russia.
Government spokesman Stefan Kornelius said the goal must be to hold the tournaments as planned. He added that, given the boycotts threatened if Russia is admitted, that would effectively not be possible, so the government wants to explore options through dialogue to still hold the event.
According to the report, intensive talks were held in recent days with Franz Reindl, the newly elected president of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), and the German Olympic Sports Confederation. The outcome, the report states, is that Russia’s participation would make the championship “sportingly and economically virtually impossible.”
The background is that the CAS decided to lift the suspension of Russian teams that had been in place since the start of Russia’s war against Ukraine. Since then, several nations have threatened to boycott the German home tournament, and important sponsors have announced their withdrawal.
The German Ice Hockey Federation (DEB) has raised the possibility of handing back the championship.
The debate has also reached politics. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney recently publicly ruled out Russian participation in the U20 World Championship in Canada and pointed to the option of denying visas to Russian athletes.
The German federal government does not rule out the same step for the 2027 championship. A spokesperson for the Interior Ministry said that while Russia is waging a war of aggression against Ukraine, there can be no normality and it will not be pretended.
Russian President Vladimir Putin also weighed in. Describing himself as an ice hockey fan, he accused some countries of political restrictions against Russian athletes without naming them, calling it a gross violation of the right to court decisions and of democratic institutions.
The debate over Russia’s return also overshadows the traditional Deutschland Cup home tournament, which began Thursday in Düsseldorf.
