Finland rallies hockey nations against Russia’s IIHF return

Finland’s hockey federation said it is trying to line up other countries against Russia’s return to international play, as International Ice Hockey Federation leaders met Monday to work through a sports court ruling that could put a Russian team at the world juniors in Alberta in less than eight weeks.

“We are currently gathering as many countries as possible to form a common front to tell the IIHF,” Finnish chairman Heikki Hietanen said, Daily Faceoff reported. The association said it would use “all possible means at its disposal” but has not named the federations it is working with.

The IIHF’s leadership began a two-day meeting Monday. No outcome had been reported as of Monday evening. The federation has said it will act on the ruling and promised more details “in due course,” Meduza reported. It could still go to the Swiss Supreme Court, though Meduza said it is unclear whether it will.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled Oct. 30 that Russia must be let back into IIHF championships immediately, overturning an exclusion in place since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The court said there was not enough evidence to support the IIHF’s security concerns, The Associated Press reported on TSN. It did not decide whether Russia must play as neutrals without national symbols.

Canada is first in line to deal with the consequences. The men’s world junior championship opens Dec. 26 in Edmonton and Red Deer, and Russia’s federation has said it plans to play there, The Canadian Press reported on TSN. The women’s world championship follows in Quebec City in November 2027.

Hockey Canada said it was disappointed, was seeking clarity from the IIHF and had briefed the federal government. Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said Canada is “extremely disappointed” and that “we strongly oppose this outcome.” Adam van Koeverden, the secretary of state for sport, said Russia “should not be represented in international sport competitions” while the invasion continues.

Ottawa said it will keep its restrictions on Russian athletes at federally funded events in Canada. That lever may be limited here: Hockey Canada said the federal government has not committed money to the 2027 world juniors, while Alberta gave $11 million in 2024 toward hosting events, including that tournament. Premier Danielle Smith said she would not try to block Russia, saying “we will comply,” CP reported.

Lydia Migus, president of the Alberta chapter of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, called the ruling “basically a slap in the face for humanity.” She said more than 400,000 people of Ukrainian descent live in Alberta.

The IIHF has warned that the ruling does “not consider the practical elements which cannot be implemented immediately.” The world juniors field is set at 10 countries, and Meduza reported that the men’s world championship in Germany next May could see Russia replace the lowest-ranked team, Ukraine, if the 16-team format stays. Ukraine qualified for the first time in 20 years.

German federation chair Frank H. Lutz said Russian participation would have “significant security, political, and economic consequences” for hosts, according to CP. Meduza reported he said Germany is considering giving up the event.

Opposition is not the same as a boycott. Swedish chairman Anders Larsson said “a boycott is not on the table,” AP reported. Hietanen wrote that “no player or team official is under any obligation to take part” in a tournament with Russia or Belarus, according to CP. Meduza reported that the Slovak and Belarusian federations supported the ruling.

The dispute comes as the United States prepares to mediate Ukraine-Russia talks in Abu Dhabi. Sweden won the last world junior title without a Russian team in the field.

File photo: Russia’s bench during a game against Czechia at the 2012 IIHF world championship. Photo: Alexey Chernyadyev, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. It does not show the current dispute.

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