Country says IIHF is kicking them out of World Juniors to make room for Russia
Another wrinkle has developed in Russia’s return to international hockey.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled last month that the IIHF must allow Russia to participate in upcoming events, starting with the 2027 World Junior tournament set to be held in Alberta in December. It was a decision that was met with intense backlash, with multiple hockey federations threatening to boycott games that included Russia.
Even the Canadian federal government weighed in on the decision, with Prime Minister Mark Carney saying that he wouldn’t allow Russian hockey players into the country to participate.
Despite all the backlash, it seems the IIHF is intent on following the CAS ruling. The Norwegian Ice Hockey Federation (NIHF) said on Sunday that they’ve been demoted to Division 1A, and Russia will be taking Norway’s place at the upcoming World Juniors tournament.
“The Norwegian Ice Hockey Association received information on Saturday from the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) that, as a result of the decision from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Friday, October 30, they are required to take necessary measures to reintegrate Russia into the Junior World Championships,” a translated version of the NIHF’s statement read.Ā
“In the new setup for the U20 World Cup in Canada, which starts on December 26, Russia has been placed as nation number ten. This means that Norway, as the lowest ranked team, will be moved down to division 1A.”
The Norwegians were set to be the lowest-seeded team at the upcoming tournament after being promoted into the top group this past year. They were placed in Group B of the tournament, alongside Canada, Czechia, Switzerland, and Latvia.
“We have previously made it clear where we stand on the issue of Russia’s participation, where we believe they should not be able to participate internationally as long as the war in Ukraine continues,” said Petter Salsten, secretary general of the NIHA, in a statement.
“This also clearly shows all the practical challenges and immediate consequences for everyone involved when countries are to be reinstated immediately.”
With the CAS decision requiring Russia to participate in the tournament on such short notice, this suggests that the IIHF’s solution was to demote the lowest-seeded team at the tournament to make room.
The IIHF issued a statement on Saturday that revealed that the governing body would be taking the necessary steps to follow the ruling, despite disagreeing with it.
“While the IIHF continues to disagree with the decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) concerning Russian participation in IIHF Championships, we are taking the necessary steps required by the CAS ruling and reviewing what conditions would need to be met to safeguard our Championships, protect the organization’s financial stability and secure the long-term future of international ice hockey,” the statement read.
“The IIHF is therefore exploring all available avenues, including opening discussions with all affected MNAs, including the Russian Ice Hockey Federation, to identify a constructive way forward that serves the interests of global ice hockey.”
While this may answer one question on how the IIHF intends to make room for the Russians on such short notice, it does not clear the hurdle presented by potential boycotts and the Canadian federal government.
Salsten pointed to those issues in the NIHF’s statement.
“The authorities in Canada have made it clear that Russian players will not be granted visas to participate in the Junior World Championships. In addition, several of the participating countries have said that they will not participate, or face Russia, if they are faced with them in the championship,” Salsten said.
“This makes us hope that the last word has not been said about our participation in Canada in December.”
It remains to be seen if the IIHF will have a workaround for those potential issues or if they will be forced to exclude Russia once again.