Russia is returning to the international sports arena: The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Switzerland has upheld Russia's appeal against restrictions on its participation in international ice hockey, clearing the way for Russian and Belarusian teams to return to competition after years of sporting sanctions imposed following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The ruling has sparked controversy across Europe, with several countries opposing the decision as the war in Ukraine approaches its fifth year.
That means Russia's men's national team, complete with the flag and anthem representing the Kremlin and Vladimir Putin, will participate in the World Ice Hockey Championship in Germany in May 2027. The Russian women's national team will also be allowed to represent the country at the World Championship in November 2027.
In its ruling, the Lausanne-based court determined that the International Ice Hockey Federation's decision to suspend the Russian team solely because of security concerns was insufficiently justified. "Only unequivocally proven safety risks can justify excluding athletes on the basis of their nationality under the relevant federation's regulations," the ruling stated.
Although the International Ice Hockey Federation expressed disagreement with the decision, it accepted the ruling. Germany, however, is still considering its next steps. "As hosts, Russia's participation changes our entire approach from an economic, political and security perspective," the German Ice Hockey Federation said. "Our position remains unchanged: We reject the decision to readmit the Russian national team to international competitions."
The German media reacted with outrage but also recognized that Germany and its sporting federation would have to accept the ruling if they wished to remain consistent in their commitment to international law.
The situation deteriorated further Tuesday when ice hockey powerhouses Finland and Sweden, together with Latvia, Denmark and Norway, signed a petition calling for a boycott of the Russians at the tournament. The Czech Republic is also considering joining them, while one of the championship's sponsors may withdraw its support over Russia's participation.
Russia's national hockey team, 2021
(Photo: Roman Koksarov/AP)
For their part, the Russians warmly embraced an international court ruling concerning their country, at least this time. Russian Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyarev praised the court in a Telegram post for having "agreed with Russia's justified demands on key points."
A different ruling by the same court, requiring the Russian Chess Federation to withdraw from occupied Ukrainian territories, was completely ignored by the Russians. And just one day after the ruling allowing Russia's hockey team to return to the World Championship, Russian authorities registered teams from occupied Ukrainian territories in Russian hockey leagues. All children on those teams born in 2014 or 2015 were listed as having been born in Russia.
The German Ice Hockey Federation realized that it could not overturn the court's decision on its own, so its leaders decided to pass this political hot potato to the government.
Beyond the enormous security challenge of protecting the Russian national team from groups or individuals seeking to harm it, and beyond the fact that Russia would use a national sports team with a reasonable chance of winning a medal to promote the Kremlin, Putin and his policies, Germany has been subjected to a Russian hybrid warfare campaign for years. That campaign has included sabotage, low-level criminals allegedly recruited by Russia to attack rail shipments bound for Ukraine, espionage and a massive online operation involving millions of bots spreading disinformation.
The arrival of a Russian national team in Germany would also bring dozens, perhaps even hundreds, of delegation members. Some would almost certainly be members of Russian intelligence services.
The German federation has already hinted that it could relinquish its hosting rights to the World Championship rather than accept the security and economic risks associated with staging a tournament involving Russia.
A delicate political game
The German federation admitted that it arrived at the hearing in Lausanne without an alternative plan. It had been confident that, after Russia was also excluded from this year's Winter Games, the court would not overturn the international federation's decision.
The federation has since moved quickly to find a solution to a crisis that could also drive Ukraine out of the competition. By Monday, senior federation officials had met members of the Bundestag, Germany's parliament, to discuss the possibility of denying visas to Russian athletes and delegation members.
Russia's men's national team, representing the Kremlin and Vladimir Putin, will participate in the World Ice Hockey Championship in Germany
(Photo: Alexander Kazakov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
A source in the German chancellor's office told Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung that "in principle, the German government supports a restrictive visa policy toward Russia among the countries that are signatories to the Schengen Agreement. Short-term visas are issued only under particularly strict conditions."
It remains unclear whether participation in the World Championship falls under those restrictions. What is clear is that any decision will directly affect Munich's chances of securing the Olympic Games, which the city hopes to host sometime between 2036 and 2044.
The International Olympic Committee insists on maintaining complete autonomy. In practical terms, a country that decides to bar athletes from a particular nation cannot host the Olympic Games. That leaves the Germans walking a political tightrope, with any move to prevent Russian participation potentially damaging their Olympic ambitions.
Since Kirsty Coventry became president of the International Olympic Committee last year, she has pursued a highly accommodating political approach toward Russia's return to international sports, despite fierce criticism from Western countries and Ukraine. Coventry opposes punishing athletes for the actions of their governments and wants to preserve the neutrality of the Olympic movement. But her decisions benefit Moscow's interests and facilitate Russia's return to the global sporting stage.
Back on the map
Canada is not planning to host the Olympics, but it will host the World Junior Ice Hockey Championship in December. Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand has said that "the country will maintain its restrictions on the participation of Russian athletes in competitions held in Canada that receive federal funding."
Canada could also follow the Netherlands' example. Dutch authorities denied visas to three Russian athletes seeking to participate in the World Gymnastics Championships in Rotterdam last month, while granting visas to other competitors.
Countries including Sweden, Finland and the Czech Republic have expressed outrage over the hockey ruling but have not announced that they will boycott the tournament. Latvia's position also remains unclear, given that the country has a law prohibiting its athletes from competing against Russian athletes.
Whatever happens next, the trend is already clear, and it is gaining momentum.
After Russian athletes were completely suspended from international competitions following the invasion of Ukraine in late February 2022, sporting authorities began turning a blind eye and making exceptions in 2024. Russian athletes were allowed to participate, but only as neutral competitors, without their national flag or anthem.
At the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Russians are already permitted to compete under their Olympic symbols. And at the Los Angeles Olympics, hosted by President Donald Trump, Putin's close friend, Russia will participate once again as a fully recognized nation.
The ruling on Russia's participation in the World Ice Hockey Championships carries considerable symbolic significance. Ice hockey is the first team sport in which Russia is being readmitted to the international stage, and hockey is Putin's personal sporting passion.