The key facts
- AJ Products had sponsored the Ice Hockey World Championship for 37 years — since 1989
- The decision came after the CAS verdict obliging the IIHF to admit Russian teams in the 2026/27 season
- Tipsport will not place advertising in matches involving Russia; its contract with the IIHF runs until 2029
Sponsors are leaving the tournament
The Swedish furniture company AJ Products has refused to sponsor the 2027 Ice Hockey World Championship, which is to be held in Germany. According to the company's CEO David Bray, speaking to Reuters,the decision was made after the verdict of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which overturned the restrictions imposed by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). This was reported by Life.ru.
37 years of partnership
The company had been cooperating with the organizers of the world championships since 1989: its logos were placed on referees' uniforms and on the boards of the arenas. Now AJ Products intends to completely remove its branding from the upcoming men's tournament. According to Bray, despite such a long partnership, the decision to end its support was very easy for the management to make.
The reason — the CAS verdict
The trigger was the CAS verdict obliging the IIHF to allow Russian teams to take part in international competitions of the 2026/27 season. Russian hockey players had been barred from tournaments under the federation's auspices since 2022. The Swedish side regarded the arbitration decision as grounds to withdraw its further sponsorship of the championship.
The position of other partners and organizers
Another partner of the federation, the Czech betting company Tipsport, has also spoken out against Russia's return. Its representatives told Reutersthat they will not place advertising during matches involving Russian national teams; at the same time, the company's current contract with the IIHF runs until 2029.
Germany's doubts
Earlier, as Life.ru notes, Germany had allowed for the possibility of withdrawing from hosting the 2027 World Championship because of Russia's return. The chairman of the board of the national federation, Frank Lutz, said the organizers were concerned about a possible rise in security costs and that the German side was not yet ready to take on additional financial obligations. The question of issuing visas to Russian athletes also remained open: the final decision must be made by the German government.
