Russia may replace Ukraine in the elite division of the 2027 World Ice Hockey Championship: the Foreign Ministry’s reaction has appeared
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga has criticized the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) decision, which could pave the way for the return of Russian national teams to international hockey competitions. At the same time, the possible resumption of Russia’s participation has put Ukraine’s place in the elite division of the 2027 World Cup at risk.
He reported this in X.
Sibiga emphasized that Russia continues to wage war against Ukraine, and therefore its national teams should not return to international competitions.
“The Russian national teams represent a state that is still waging an aggressive war. Allowing them to return now would give Moscow the international legitimacy it seeks,” the Foreign Minister wrote.
He called on the international community and Ukraine’s partners to take a clear position on excluding Russian teams from the competition. Sibiga also said that the CAS decision must be overturned and called on governments to restrict the entry of Russian hockey players into their territory.
The President of the Swedish Ice Hockey Association, Anders Larsson, stated that the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Congress had previously set the conditions for the Russian national team to return to the competition. According to the previous decision, after the resumption of participation, Russia must play at the level it was at before the suspension.
“We previously made a decision at the congressional level that when Russia returns, it will play at the same level it was at,” Larsson explained.
This poses a risk for the Ukrainian national team, which last earned promotion to the elite division of the World Cup. If Russia returns, the Ukrainian team could be relegated to a lower division.
There is no final decision yet on the composition of the participants of the 2027 World Cup. Next week, the IIHF is to consider the practical issues of a possible return of the Russians, including changes to the number of teams and the format of the competition.
Larsson also noted that the Swedish Hockey Association opposes Russia’s admission, but has no plans to boycott international tournaments.
Members of the European Parliament also spoke out against the resumption of Russian athletes’ participation in international competitions. MEP Richards Coles criticized the CAS decision, stating that Russia has done nothing to restore its reputation in world sports.
“Russia achieved a favorable decision for itself, although it did nothing to deserve rehabilitation,” said Kols.
In addition, the Swedish government has appealed to the European Commission to tighten visa restrictions for Russian and Belarusian sports representatives.
Recall that earlier the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) designated Moscow as the venue for the 2030 World Senior Championships . This is the first time since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine that an international Olympic sports federation has granted Russia the right to hold competitions of this level.
Later, it became known that Ukraine was preparing official appeals to the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) over the decision to hold the 2030 World Championships in Moscow.
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