Finland and Sweden oppose Russia’s return to international hockey after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ordered the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) on 30 October to allow Russian teams into five world championship tournaments. Both countries’ hockey federations said their opposition remained unchanged because of Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Finland nevertheless ruled out a national boycott. Its federation said players and team officials would be free to take part, but nobody would be required to attend a tournament involving Russia or Belarus. How Russian teams will be fitted into competitions already being prepared remains unresolved.
What the ruling on Russia’s return actually covers
In its announcement of the decision, CAS said the IIHF had not provided sufficient evidence to support its safety and security arguments. Under the applicable federation rules, the panel concluded that exclusion required substantiated security concerns.
The ruling takes immediate effect and covers the men’s and women’s senior world championships, the men’s under-20 championship, and both under-18 championships in 2027. The first affected event is the World Junior Championship in Canada, starting on 26 December 2026. The senior men’s tournament is in Germany in May, with the women’s event in Canada in November.
CAS did not impose a neutrality regime or address organisational consequences, which were outside the appeal. Its announcement said the detailed grounds would follow. The ruling concerns Russian teams; it does not announce the reinstatement of Belarus.
Finland rejects a boycott but protects individual choice
The Finnish Ice Hockey Association (Suomen Jääkiekkoliitto) said it respected international sport’s legal decision-making system and remained committed to following IIHF decisions. That did not change its position on Russian or Belarusian participation.
In the federation’s statement, chair Heikki Hietanen condemned Russia’s war and said neither country should be participating under the present circumstances. He added that the association would support anyone who chose to stay away.
Speaking to Finnish news agency STT, Hietanen confirmed that Finland would not boycott the championships. He also questioned how organisers could implement the ruling when groups and match schedules had already been drawn up.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb also rejected the decision. Speaking on Yle’s Ykkösaamu programme on 31 October, he said Russia’s return should wait until its war against Ukraine ends, according to Yle’s account of the interview.
Sweden maintains its opposition and asks the EU to act on visas
The Swedish Ice Hockey Association (Svenska Ishockeyförbundet) said its position had not changed either. Chair Anders Larsson described the federation as deeply disappointed and said it had backed the IIHF’s exclusion decisions each season.
In the Swedish federation’s response, Larsson said:
“Our position is that Russia cannot participate in international championships in the current situation.”
Separately, Sweden’s government asked the European Commission on 30 October to tighten visa rules for Russian sports representatives, seeking a more consistent and restrictive approach that also covers people representing Belarus.
The government requested EU legislation allowing member states to refuse visas on nationality grounds, alongside common guidance for applying existing rules more restrictively. This is a Swedish request, rather than an adopted EU measure. It argues that international sporting participation should not be normalised while Russia’s war continues.
The IIHF still has to reorganise the affected tournaments
The IIHF said it would comply with the ruling while maintaining that its safety concerns had not disappeared. It warned that changing participation would require coordination with national federations, organisers and host authorities.
That work includes reviewing competition formats, schedules, travel, accommodation and security arrangements. The federation said these practical changes could not be implemented immediately and that further details would follow after an urgent assessment.
The immediate deadline is the junior tournament in December. The court has decided that Russian teams must be allowed to participate; the IIHF still has to explain how that can happen.
