Russia ordered back into ice hockey championships, several federations refuse

The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled on 30 October that the International Ice Hockey Federation must readmit Russian teams, but Sweden, Finland and Latvia say they will not play. The IIHF board meets on Monday with Russia as its main topic.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport ordered the International Ice Hockey Federation on 30 October to readmit Russian teams, including at the 2027 Men's World Championship in Germany. Anders Larsson, chair of Sweden's Ice Hockey Association, said Russia cannot participate. Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen said she would move within days to block Russian athletes from entering Finland.

The ruling covers all International Ice Hockey Federation championships, among them the 2027 Men's and Women's World Championships, the World Junior Championship and the Under 18 tournaments. Roberts Plavejs, secretary general of the Latvian Ice Hockey Federation, told LSM, Latvia's public broadcaster, that Latvia will not play against Russia or Belarus even if they return. "The sports law states clearly that national teams cannot play against the teams of Russia or Belarus. We will not in any case break these rules", he said.

The appeal was heard in person in Lausanne on 23 and 26 October 2026. The panel found the federation's safety and security arguments unsupported by sufficient evidence, and concluded unanimously that only substantiated security concerns could outweigh athletes of a particular nationality participating. The IIHF said it maintains that its decisions were necessary to protect the safety and security of all participants and safeguard the integrity of its competitions. It expressed disappointment at the ruling but said it will comply.

Heikki Hietanen, chairman of the Finnish Ice Hockey Federation, said Finland is gathering as many countries as possible into a common front to tell the IIHF that none of them will play against Russia. Acting together, he said, weighs considerably more than notifying on their own behalf. In Latvia, Aleksandrs Samoilovsin, Director of the Sports Department at the Ministry of Education and Science, said the Latvian Ice Hockey Federation and players cannot be granted state financial support for competitions involving representatives from Russia or Belarus. The ministry, he said, is working closely with the Latvian federation to ensure the law is not violated.

The IIHF board begins a two-day meeting on Monday 2 November, with Russia as its main topic. In a statement issued with the ruling on 30 October, the federation said the ruling does not consider practical elements that cannot be implemented immediately given competitions already at an advanced stage of preparation. It said it will urgently assess the steps and time needed to give effect to the ruling.