Court Orders Hockey Body to Let Russia Back Into World Championships

The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled Friday that Russia must be allowed to compete in International Ice Hockey Federation events, overturning decisions that kept Russian teams out of the 2026-27 season. That includes the men's and women's world championships. The IIHF has barred Russian teams from its world championships since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Russia also skipped the Olympic hockey tournaments this year.

In a short statement, the court pointed to a lack of sufficient evidence behind the IIHF's security concerns. The ruling did not decide whether Russia must play without national symbols as neutral athletes, as some other Olympic sports require, or settle what the court called other organizational consequences.

The IIHF said it was disappointed by the decision. The federation said it maintains that its choices were needed to protect the safety and security of all participants and safeguard the integrity of its competitions, and it added that while it respects the court's authority and will follow the ruling, the outcome does not remove the concerns behind its assessments.

Russian Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyaryov wrote on Telegram that the court recognized the demands of the Russian Hockey Federation on key points as justified. The case lands with new IIHF President Franz Reindl. Germany hosts the men's world championship next year, and Reindl is German.