The key facts

  • Svetlana Zhurova called Petr Macinka's words sexism and nationalism
  • On October 30, CAS overturned the IIHF decision to suspend the Russian national team
  • The Czech Ice Hockey Association opposes Russia's return to international tournaments

The State Duma's reaction

State Duma deputy Svetlana Zhurova commented on the statement by Czech Foreign Minister Petr Macinka, who called Russian female hockey players 'manly'. In her words, this is 'absolute sexism', which is not welcomed in the Czech Republic itself. 'If he said that about his own women right now, it's interesting what would break out in the press. I'm sure people would be outraged. But it's fine to say it about us. So they have a gradation: they can call some that, but not others. That is extremely surprising. Real, genuine nationalism,' her words are quoted as saying RIA Novosti.

Context around the return of the Russian national team

Zhurova's statement came against the backdrop of a dispute over the future of the Russian national team in international hockey. Czech Ice Hockey Association general secretary Jan Cerny previously stated that Czech hockey opposes the return of the Russian national team to international tournaments. At the same time, as noted by Gazeta.Ru, Czech NHL players have already criticized the Czech Foreign Minister for his remarks about the Russian women.

The CAS decision

The key event that changed the situation of the Russian national team was the decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport: on October 30, CAS fully upheld the appeal of the Russian Ice Hockey Federation and overturned the International Ice Hockey Federation's (IIHF) decision on the suspension. The IIHF stated that it would urgently assess the steps and time needed to implement the decision and address its operational consequences, but expressed dissatisfaction with the ruling adopted by CAS. Thus, the question of Russia's return to the international arena has formally been decided in favor of the Russian federation, but the practical timelines and conditions remain uncertain, and the position of individual national federations, including the Czech one, remains negative.