The key facts

  • Irina Rodnina said that Canada and other rivals fear losing to Russia
  • On October 30, CAS upheld the appeal of the Russian Ice Hockey Federation and overturned the IIHF's suspension decision
  • The IIHF said it would assess the steps needed to implement the court's ruling

Rodnina on Canada's refusal

Three-time Olympic champion and State Duma deputy of Russia Irina Rodnina commented on Canada's refusal to allow Russian hockey players to take part in the World Junior Championship. Her remarks were aired by Match TV, citing which Gazeta.Ru writes Gazeta.Ru. 'Our main rivals are Canada, Sweden, and Germany. They have all taken a stance. Broadly speaking, they can hide behind politics, but in reality they are afraid of losing. For so many years they reigned without us and felt quite comfortable,' Rodnina said.

Context: the suspension was overturned by the court

The comment came after the Court of Arbitration for Sport on October 30 fully upheld the appeal of the Russian Ice Hockey Federation and overturned the International Ice Hockey Federation's decision to suspend Russia. The IIHF stressed that it would urgently assess the steps and time needed to implement the ruling and address its operational consequences. Thus, the question of admitting the Russian national team to tournaments, including the World Junior Championship, remains open for now: the court overturned the suspension, but the practical consequences of this decision have not yet been settled by the IIHF.

Broader background

The hockey ruling builds on an earlier trend: on July 7, the International Olympic Committee temporarily lifted the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee and recommended that all federations remove restrictions on Russian athletes, declaring the previous recommendations no longer relevant. Separately, Gazeta.Ru mentions that earlier a Russian hockey player got into a spat with a Finnish journalist.