The International Ice Hockey Federation provided updates on Belarusian and Russian athletes in its upcoming world tournaments, including next month’s World Junior Championships.
The IIHF announced Saturday that Belarus will not participate, but the federation is “taking the necessary steps required” to comply with the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s (CAS) ruling to allow Russia to play.
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“While the IIHF continues to disagree with the decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) 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 federation said in a statement. “The IIHF must work within the applicable framework while upholding its responsibility to preserve international competition and protect the sport as a whole.
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Russia players celebrate during the Ice Hockey World Championship Group A match against Sweden in Riga, Latvia, on May 31, 2021. (AP Photo/Roman Koksarov)
“The IIHF is therefore exploring all available avenues, including opening discussions with all affected MNAs, including the Russian Ice Hockey Federation, to identify a constructive way forward that serves the interests of global ice hockey.”
The CAS ruled last week that Russian teams can compete in upcoming men’s and women’s world championships, overturning the International Ice Hockey Federation’s (IIHF) decisions to exclude them from its competitions. The World Juniors will be the first tournament affected by the decision.
Hockey Canada and Prime Minister Mark Carney said last week that Russians would not be allowed to play in next month’s World Juniors, which will take place in Alberta.
Russia did not compete in Olympic hockey earlier this year, the first since 2014 that had NHL players, nor was it included in the NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off. Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, four days after Olympic competition ended that year.
Vladimir Putin put out a statement through the state-run Russian outlet TASS calling out organizations that are preventing Russian athletes from competing for their country.
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“Unfortunately, they have not honored the commitments they once made, and they continue to enforce restrictions against Russian sports that are not based on law, but are instead highly politicized,” Putin said, via translation. “This constitutes a clear and gross violation of the law and of judicial rulings — and, by extension, a violation of the very institutions of democracy. That is precisely how this should be interpreted.”
Sweden, Finland, the Czech Republic, Norway, Latvia and Denmark came out with statements signing up for a boycott of games against Russia as long as the war in Ukraine is ongoing. Germany, the host of the 2027 men’s world championships, also suggested backing out if Russia was allowed to play.
STRAUSS, a workwear company that is a top sponsor of the world championships next year, threatened to walk away after Finland announced Monday it was rallying other nations to refuse to play Russia.
Team USA and Team Russia face off during the men’s ice hockey preliminary round on Feb. 15, 2014, during the XXII Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia. (NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images)
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If Russia makes the trip next month, it will be its first time playing in the World Juniors since 2021. It has not won gold since 2011.