Nations threaten to boycott ice hockey worlds as Russia can compete

Nations are threatening to boycott the 2027 men's ice hockey world championships in Germany after Russia was permitted to compete by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

Following world champions Finland, Norway have also announced they will not play against Russia.

"Our position remains unchanged: As long as the war in Ukraine continues, Russia should be excluded from all international championships," the Norwegian ice hockey association said in a statement on Tuesday.

“We are currently gathering as many countries as possible for a united front to signal to the IIHF that none of us will play against Russia under these circumstances,” the statement read.

Finnish federation president Heikki Hietanen said that "we are currently gathering as many countries as possible for a united front to signal to the IIHF (International Ice Hockey Federation) that none of us will play against Russia under these circumstances."

Germany, meanwhile are discussing whether to hand back its hosting rights.

"The German government will discuss possible consequences of the ruling, including for the 2027 ice hockey world championship in Germany, with the German Ice Hockey Federation promptly," a government spokesman said on Sunday.

The International Olympic Committee lifted a ban on the Russian Olympic Committee in July, opening the door for Russian teams to gradually return to the sporting fold amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.

However, the IIHF had already decided to continue to exclude Russian teams for this season, citing security concerns. 

But after Russia appealed, CAS found in its unanimous ruling that the security concerns cited by the world federation were not sufficiently proven.