Russia can now compete for World Championships — CAS overturns ban on Russian ice hockey team
A landmark legal victory ends years of isolation for a sporting power, but the governing body is unhappy, and scheduling headaches could complicate the comeback plans.
Updated : Oct 30, 2026 20:11 IST , Paris - 3 MINS READ
Russian hockey’s return has been decided in the courtroom, but the work of making it happen on the ice is only beginning. | Photo Credit: AP
Russian hockey’s return has been decided in the courtroom, but the work of making it happen on the ice is only beginning. | Photo Credit: AP
A Friday ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has cleared Russia’s men’s and women’s ice hockey teams to compete at next year’s world championships, ending a five-year hiatus.
Russia has been barred from International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) competitions since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
CAS said it received three separate appeals from the Russian Ice Hockey Federation (RIHF) this year “concerning the participation of Russian teams in IIHF competitions and participation of the RIHF in an IIHF Congress”, and it upheld one of them.
The decision allows Russia to enter five world championship tournaments, including next year’s senior events. The men’s tournament is held in Germany in May, while Canada hosts the women’s event in November.
The first tournament Russia is eligible for is the junior world championships in Canada, running from December 26 this year to January 5, 2027.
“The CAS Panel... found that the IIHF arguments citing safety, security and other concerns were not supported by sufficient evidence,” read the CAS judgement by the three-person panel.
“They noted that the IIHF Disciplinary Board already found that the evidence was insufficient to establish the legal requirements for non-participation.”
“The Panel unanimously concluded that... only substantiated security concerns could outweigh athletes of a particular nationality to participate in competitions.”
The IIHF voiced its disappointment with the verdict.
“The IIHF disagrees with this aspect of the ruling and maintains that its decisions were necessary to protect the safety and security of all participants and safeguard the integrity of its competitions,” read their statement.
The federation said it would abide by the ruling, adding that “the outcome does not remove the concerns that informed its assessments.”
It also pointed to “significant practical implications”, including schedules and safety and security measures for the tournaments, which must be addressed after the ruling.
One immediate problem is the men’s world championships, where a fixture list has already been published for the 16 finalists.
“These decisions made by CAS do not consider the practical elements which cannot be implemented immediately,” said the IIHF.
The IIHF’s position on Russia was less hardline than that of World Athletics, whose blanket ban on Russian participation has also prompted an appeal by Moscow to CAS.
Luc Tardif, then IIHF president, said at this year’s Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina that he wanted Russia back as soon as possible, but not for the 2026-27 season, as it “would not be good for our competitions”.
His wish received a considerable boost in July, when the International Olympic Committee (IOC) eased restrictions on Russian individual athletes and teams.
That opens the way for Russian competitors to qualify for the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles, though the final decision on whether Russians may compete rests with each sport’s federation.
(With inputs from AFP)
Published on Oct 30, 2026
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