The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has ruled in favor of the Russian Ice Hockey Federation (RIHF), ordering the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) to permit Russian teams to participate in events scheduled for the 2026-27 season. The decision overturns previous exclusions and mandates access to several major competitions, including the Junior World Championship in Canada from December 26, 2026, to January 5, 2027.
The reinstatement also covers the U18 Women's World Championship in the Czech Republic, set for January 8-16, 2027, and the U18 Men's tournament in the United States from April 22 to May 2, 2027. Furthermore, Russian teams will be allowed to compete in the Men's World Championship in Germany between May 14 and 30, 2027, as well as the Women's World Championship in Canada scheduled for November 2027.
This ruling follows an appeal filed by the RIHF against IIHF decisions made in January and reaffirmed in June of the same year. The IIHF had previously refused to reinstate Russian teams, citing safety-related motivations. However, the CAS arbitration panel unanimously determined that the arguments presented by the IIHF regarding security, public order, and other concerns were not backed by sufficient evidence.
In a separate development involving winter sports, the CAS rejected two appeals filed by the Russian Curling Federation and individual athletes against World Curling decisions. The court upheld the exclusion of adult Russian teams from World Curling competitions until the end of 2026. While the ban on junior category athletes was revoked, the exclusion for other Russian curling squads remains in effect.
Sources: ANSA Sport.