IIHF statement on Russian and Belarusian participation in tournaments, Digi Mart USA News: The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) has made a decision regarding Russian and Belarusian participation in upcoming tournaments.
Following a ruling last week from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to reinstate Russia to international hockey competitions, the IIHF said on Saturday that, while it disagrees with the ruling, it is taking the steps required by the CAS decision regarding possible reimplementation.
“While the IIHF continues to disagree with the decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport concerning Russian participation in IIHF Championships, we are taking the necessary steps required by the CAS ruling and reviewing what conditions would need to be met to safeguard our Championships, protect the organization’s financial stability and secure the long-term future of international ice hockey,” the IIHF said in its statement.
“The IIHF must work within the applicable framework while upholding its responsibility to preserve international competition and protect the sport as a whole.”
The IIHF said it is exploring all available avenues, including opening discussions with all affected Member National Associations (MNAs), including the Russian Ice Hockey Federation, to identify a constructive way forward that serves the interests of global ice hockey.
Last Friday, CAS overturned an exclusion of Russian participation in international ice hockey tournaments that had been in place since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The IIHF had opposed Russia’s immediate reinstatement, citing security, logistical and competitive concerns, while several European hockey federations said their teams would refuse to face Russia.
CAS overturned IIHF decisions that excluded Russia from events in the 2026-27 season, including the men’s and women’s world championships and world juniors. Russia also missed the Olympic tournaments this year, citing a lack of sufficient evidence to support the IIHF’s security concerns.
In response, several IIHF member nations said they will not play Russia in international tournaments, with Finland, Sweden, Czechia, Norway, Denmark, Latvia and Austria protesting the ruling. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney also declared Tuesday that Russian players would not be permitted to compete at next month’s world junior hockey championship in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta.
“So if you’re asking specifically about the world juniors, the Russians will not be there,” Carney said Tuesday while attending the Commonwealth Summit in Antigua.
Separately, the IIHF ruled that Belarus would not be allowed to participate in the 2027 world junior and world championships. The council’s decision follows the IIHF Disciplinary Board’s ruling, which partially upheld the Belarusian Ice Hockey Association’s appeal against the council’s decisions of July 27, 2026.
The Disciplinary Board confirmed that it had no legal basis to order immediate reintegration.
In reaching its decision, the council considered existing sporting and organizational arrangements for both championships, including competition structures, schedules, ticketing and operational planning. Having weighed these circumstances, the council determined that Belarusian national teams will not participate in these two championships in the 2027 season.
The world junior championship opens December 26 and features Canada, defending champion Sweden, Czechia, Switzerland, the United States, Germany, Latvia, Slovakia, Norway and Finland. The world senior men’s championship will open May 14 in Dusseldorf and Mannheim, Germany.
