Kozhevnikov: IIHF has cornered itself after CAS ruling on admitting Russians

Kozhevnikov on the suspension and the CAS ruling

Two-time Olympic champion Alexander Kozhevnikov, in an interview with Gazeta.Ru, assessed the situation regarding the admission of Russian hockey players to the World Championship. In his view, the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) has cornered itself: by denying Russians participation, it relied only on vague arguments about safety, and now, after the ruling of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), it has no grounds to bar Russian athletes from competition again.

The national team's participation and response to Hasek's criticism

Kozhevnikov ruled out the scenario in which Russia itself would withdraw from the World Championship. He cited the sports minister's position: the national team will play, and there is a 'Plan B' — players who already hold Canadian visas. Thus, according to him, the question of participation has been settled at the level of the ministry rather than being discussed as a hypothetical choice for the federation.

Reaction to Hasek's criticism

Commenting on criticism from Dominik Hasek, Kozhevnikov called it telling: 'since he has backed down, it means we are doing things right,' adding that the Sports Ministry and the Olympic Committee are moving in the right direction. He also stressed that the IIHF must comply with the CAS ruling: 'They must make everyone play, or there will be disqualification.'

Context

Earlier, as Gazeta.Ru notes, Hasek was forced to accept CAS's arguments on Russia's admission. Notably, Kozhevnikov's position rests on an already issued arbitration ruling: if admission was previously a matter of dispute, then now, by the logic of his words, the federation finds itself in a situation where non-compliance threatens it with sanctions, rather than the Russian teams facing denial of participation.