Key facts
- Sybiha urged governments to deny Russian players entry, saying there can be no business as usual while Russia wages war.
- Larsson said the IIHF agreed Russia would return at the level it left, which for men's ice hockey was the top group.
- Larsson said technical decisions on implementing the ruling will be taken in the next week and ruled out a boycott.
- Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand said all options are on the table but did not specifically propose a travel ban.
- Russia's first scheduled tournament after the ban is the World Junior Ice Hockey Championships in Canada from December 2026.
- The men's ice hockey world cup is scheduled for Germany in May 2027; Germany has not commented on barring Russians.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called on Nov. 1 for governments to deny Russian players entry to their territory, two days after the Court of Arbitration for Sport overruled the International Ice Hockey Federation's exclusion of Russian athletes.
"By letting Russian hockey back, CAS is staining the ice with Ukrainian blood," Sybiha wrote on social media. He urged the international sporting community and partners to take a firm stand against Russia's readmission, saying there can be no business as usual while Russia wages war on Ukraine.
Anders Larsson, chair of Sweden's Ice Hockey Association and a member of the IIHF, told Sweden's Aftonbladet on Oct. 30 that Sweden's view that Russia cannot participate was unchanged, but that the federation had no choice but to follow the ruling. "This is how sports regulations work, and we have to follow it. It feels anything but good," he said.
Larsson said the IIHF had agreed that Russia would return at the level it left, which for men's ice hockey was the top group, and that this could affect Ukraine, the last team to qualify up. He said technical decisions on implementing the ruling will be taken in the next week, and ruled out a boycott.
Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen said in a social media post on Nov. 1 she would act to block Russian athletes from entering Finland, after pressing in October for EU-wide action. Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand said all options are on the table without specifically proposing a travel ban. Germany, host of the men's world cup in May 2027, has not commented, though the EU is working on the idea.