The Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld appeals from the Russian Ice Hockey Federation regarding events across the 2026-27 calendar, explicitly rejecting the safety arguments presented by the International Ice Hockey Federation. This legal outcome affects multiple elite tournaments, beginning immediately with youth divisions before extending to senior global brackets. Notably, the court strictly reviewed the legality of the exclusions and left unresolved questions regarding whether competitors must appear under a neutral banner without national emblems. While expressing deep disappointment, the governing body confirmed it will abide by the arbitration mandate.
Key points
Russian national ice hockey teams are cleared to return after the court ruled safety risk…: Russian national ice hockey teams are cleared to return after the court ruled safety risks were not adequately proven.
The governing body had barred the five-time world champions from international play since…: The governing body had barred the five-time world champions from international play since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
The tribunal only evaluated the legality of the bans and did not decide on the use of neu…: The tribunal only evaluated the legality of the bans and did not decide on the use of neutral flags or national symbols.
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FRANKFURT, Oct 30 : The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled on Friday that Russian teams can compete in next year's men's and women's world championships, overturning International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) decisions to exclude them from its competitions.
CAS upheld appeals lodged by the Russian Ice Hockey Federation against the IIHF barring its teams from participating in events during the 2026-27 season.
The Lausanne-based court said the IIHF had not presented sufficient evidence to justify its assessment that security concerns required Russia's continued exclusion from its competitions.
The first tournament affected by the ruling is the men's world junior championship in Canada starting on December 26.
Other events covered include next year's women's world championship in Canada and the men's world championship in Germany.
CAS said the ruling was limited to the legality of the exclusion decisions and did not address issues such as whether Russian teams should compete under a neutral flag and without national symbols, as athletes from the country have done in other sports.
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