Swiss Ice Hockey refuses to play Russia at 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship, Digi Mart USA News (Canada): Swiss Ice Hockey’s board of directors has decided not to play against Russia at the Under-20 World Junior Championship. The federation said the decision followed intense deliberations and a careful examination of sporting, political and societal aspects, and was reached in agreement with relevant stakeholders in Swiss ice hockey.
This is the Swiss federation’s first public position since the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruling of October 30. However, the decision currently applies only to the Swiss M20 national team.
Several European federations, including those of Sweden, Finland and the Czech Republic, have quickly said they would not want to face Russia at the 2027 World Championship scheduled to take place in Germany.
The World Junior Championship is set to run from December 26 to January 5 in the Canadian province of Alberta, in Edmonton and Red Deer. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said this week that he would not allow Russians to take part in the competition, despite the CAS decision.
