Norway, Denmark and Sweden refuse to play Russia at the 2027 Ice Hockey World Championship
Kyiv • UNN
The federations of the three countries will refuse to play against Russia at the 2027 World Championship due to security and geopolitical risks. They will play their other matches.
Norway, Denmark and Sweden will refuse to play against Russia at the 2027 Men's Ice Hockey World Championship in Germany because of security concerns and geopolitical tensions. Their national federations announced this on Tuesday, November 3, UNN reports, citing Reuters.
Details
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled last week that Russia should be allowed to participate in International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) competitions again, overturning the governing body's decision to exclude Russian teams following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
"Norway — based on the current situation and the information available to us today — will not play against Russia at the World Championship in Germany in May 2027," the Norwegian Ice Hockey Federation (NIHF) said in a statement.
"The remaining games in the group will be played as scheduled. Our position on excluding Russia from all international championships while the war in Ukraine continues remains unchanged," the Norwegian association added.
Alongside the political concerns, the organizations cited the protection of athletes as the main reason for the decision, emphasizing potential security threats to their team and coaching staff.
"For the sake of the integrity of hockey, we cannot imagine playing against Russia in the current circumstances. It will end in complete chaos if we do so," Henrik Bach Nielsen, chairman of the Danish Ice Hockey Union, told Danish media.
The Swedish Ice Hockey Association (SIF) also said that its team would refuse to play against Russia.
"Our position remains firm, and together with several other countries we have agreed that we will announce this decision jointly," said Anders Larsson, chairman of the SIF, adding that Russia's participation in international hockey is unthinkable while the war in Ukraine continues.
Norway, Denmark and Sweden confirmed that they will play their other matches at the tournament.
The 90th Men's Ice Hockey World Championship will take place from May 13 to 30 in Düsseldorf, Gelsenkirchen and Mannheim.
The CAS decision met fierce resistance from European ice hockey federations, host cities and sponsors, leading to threats to boycott tournaments, including next year's World Championship and the 2028 World Junior Championship in Finland.
The Finnish Ice Hockey Association said on Monday that it would use all available means to prevent Russia from participating in international competitions.
"Our own position is that Finland will not play against Russia," Heikki Hietanen, chairman of the Finnish Ice Hockey Association, told Finnish broadcaster YLE.
The authorities in Turku said that the city would withdraw from its hosting duties for the World Junior Championship if Russia were allowed to participate.
Commercial partners have also taken action.
AJ Products, a Swedish furniture company that has sponsored the men's World Championship since 1989, announced on Monday that it was withdrawing its sponsorship of next year's tournament because of Russia's participation.
Finnish company Nokian Tyres said it would end its sponsorship of the 2027 World Championship if Russia were allowed to participate in the competition, adding that continuing the agreement under such conditions would violate its corporate values.