Ice Hockey-Finnish Hockey Body Leads Push to Keep Russia Out of World Championships
- On Tuesday, six European hockey federations—Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark, Latvia, and the Czech Republic—announced they will refuse to play Russia at the 2027 Men's Ice Hockey World Championship, citing safety and geopolitical concerns.
- The boycott follows a Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling last week that overturned the International Ice Hockey Federation ban on Russian teams, imposed after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
- Commercial pressure is mounting alongside the athletic boycott, as sponsors Nokian Tyres and AJ Products announced they would withdraw from the 2027 championship if Russia participates, citing misalignment with their values.
- Broader impacts extend to junior tournaments, with the Finnish city of Turku stating it could withdraw from hosting the 2028 World Junior Championship if Russia is permitted to participate.
- Uncertainty remains regarding the tournament's future, as the IIHF expressed disappointment with the CAS outcome but has yet to determine how to implement the ruling for the May 2027 event.
119 Articles
119 Articles
Those who want to let Russia into the sporting heat argue that sports and politics must be separated. But choosing to play against war apologists like Alex Ovechkin is as political as refusing.
Sybiha thanks six countries for refusing to play Russia, urges other hockey federations to follow suit
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha thanked the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Latvia, Norway, and Sweden for the public refusal of their national hockey federations to play against Russian teams and called on other countries, particularly leading hockey nations, to join this stance.
After Finland, on Tuesday four other nations expressed their willingness to boycott Russia at the upcoming World Championships: Norway, Sweden, Denmark and the Czech Republic.
Norway, Denmark and Sweden have stood up against Russia. The three Nordic federations have announced this Tuesday that they refuse to stand up to the Russian team in the upcoming Men’s Ice Hockey World Cup, to be held in Germany from 13 to 30 May 2027. A decision that comes after ... Continue reading "Denmark, Norway and Sweden stand up against Russia: refuse to play in the Ice Hockey World"
Five European countries refused to play with Russia's FM-2027 hockey team, as reported by Forbes magazine.
Russia must return to the Ice Hockey World Championship, according to the CAS sports tribunal. Playing against the Russians would cause "total chaos," according to the Danish federation.
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