Zhurova called statements about boycotting matches against Russian hockey players blackmail

Zhurova's statement

State Duma deputy Svetlana Zhurova called statements by a number of countries about boycotting matches against Russian hockey players 'pure blackmail.' Her words were reported by RIA Novosti. In her view, the question is how many countries will start sabotaging the tournament — one, two, or more than half — and it is impossible to predict this in advance. She noted that the countries 'have so far only expressed intentions' and have not sent any official letters, while the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) is implementing the decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), so 'what questions could there be for us?'

Context: the CAS decision and the countries' reaction

On October 30, CAS fully granted the appeal of the Russian Ice Hockey Federation and overturned the IIHF decision to suspend the national team. The IIHF then stated that it would urgently assess the steps and time needed to implement the decision and address its operational consequences. After that, six countries — Sweden, Finland, Czechia, Norway, Latvia and Denmark — refused to play against the Russian national team at the 2027 World Championship in Germany.

Changes to the junior tournament

At the same time, the IIHF changed the schedule of the 2027 World Junior Championship: the Russian national team, which had not participated in previous tournaments, was given tenth place in the ranking of the upcoming championship and replaced Norway in the schedule. Earlier, goaltender Dominik Hasek called for banning Russians from competing in other countries.