CAS says IIHF didn’t provide sufficient evidence to prevent Russia from playing in international tournaments
The Court of Arbitration for Sport released a public statement on Thursday afternoon, saying the International Ice Hockey Federation “did not present sufficient evidence to establish the legal requirements for the non-participation of Russian teams.”
The CAS recently ruled that the Russian Ice Hockey Federation would be allowed to enter teams in IIHF events, such as the upcoming World Junior Championship in Alberta.
Russia has been banned from IIHF competition since the nation invaded Ukraine shortly after the 2022 Beijing Olympics, which saw Russian athletes play under the ‘Russian Olympic Committee’ banner. The country was banned along with Belarus, which supported Russia during the war.
According to the organization, both the RIHF and the IIHF submitted their disputes with the CAS to help solve the issue, with the CAS publishing their decision on Oct. 30.
“The CAS Panel noted that the organisational consequences of this ruling, as well as the potential introduction of a neutrality regime, which are now at the centre of public debate, were neither substantiated by sufficient evidence nor sought by the IIHF during the proceedings. CAS cannot impose measures that have not been requested by the Parties,” Thursday’s CAS statement read.
Multiple nations have already announced they would boycott playing against Russia in tournament competition, with multiple sponsors also threatening to pull out if action isn’t taken. The IIHF itself previously said they were disappointed in the decision from the CAS.
Earlier this week, Canadian prime minister Mark Carney said Russians will not be permitted to play in the World Juniors. What isn’t clear at this time, however, is if the Canadian government would look to prevent players currently in Russia from getting visas, or whether or not Russians already playing in the Canadian Hockey League would be allowed to participate, potentially under a more neutral banner.
The 2027 World Junior Championship is set to begin Dec. 26 in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta.