The key facts

  • Degtyarev said that Russia “will not shut itself off” and will not give up international tournaments
  • On October 30, CAS overturned the IIHF decision to suspend Russia
  • Six federations refused matches against Russia at the 2027 World Championship, while at the 2027 World Junior Championship Russia will replace Norway in the schedule

Statement by the Sports Minister

Russian Sports Minister and head of the Russian Olympic Committee Mikhail Degtyarev said that Russia's hockey teams do not intend to give up participation in international tournaments. His remarks were reported by Izvestia. “It is important to understand that we are fighting not only for Russia, but also for Belarus, which is suffering. We are fighting for the integrity of world sport and for Olympic values, and we are fighting by every means available. We will not shut ourselves off or refuse to take part in tournaments. We will prove our supremacy on the sporting arena,” the outlet quoted him as saying.

Context: the CAS ruling and the federations' reaction

The statement came after, on October 30, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) fully granted the appeal of the Russian Ice Hockey Federation and overturned the International Ice Hockey Federation's (IIHF) decision to suspend Russia. The IIHF said it would urgently assess the steps and the time needed to implement the ruling and address its operational consequences, but expressed dissatisfaction with the CAS verdict.

Refusals and schedule changes

Following the CAS ruling, six national federations — Sweden, Finland, Czechia, Norway, Latvia and Denmark — refused to play matches against the Russian team at the 2027 World Championship in Germany. At the same time, the IIHF has already changed the schedule of the 2027 World Junior Championship: the Russian team, which did not take part in previous tournaments, will take tenth place in the ranking of the upcoming tournament, replacing Norway in the schedule. In addition, according to information that has emerged, the IIHF asked Russia not to take part in the 2026 World Junior Championship.