CAS Orders Russia Back Before May Championship as 7 Nations Boycott Ice Hockey Games
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Nov 10
CAS Orders Russia Back Before May Championship as 7 Nations Boycott Ice Hockey Games
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Nov 10
Summary
A Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling ordered the IIHF to let Russia return to international play before the men’s world championship in Germany in May, jolting Finland and other hockey nations.
Seven countries — Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, the Czech Republic, Austria and Latvia — plus Canada said they would boycott games against Russia, arguing its war in Ukraine makes a return unacceptable.
Cross-border hockey ties had already collapsed after Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion: Finland joined NATO, the Finnish-Russian border closed, and regular friendlies, camps and amateur Arctic leagues were halted.
In northern Finland and Norway, clubs and organizers said the break erased more than 10 years of friendships and local cooperation, and warned trust will take years to rebuild even after the war ends.