Ukraine Slams CAS Ruling Letting Russian Hockey Teams Return
“By letting Russian hockey back, CAS is staining the ice with Ukrainian blood,” Andrii Sybiha wrote on X, the US social media platform.
Sybiha stressed that Russian strikes on Ukrainian cities have not let up. He argued that readmitting Russian teams would hand Moscow the international legitimacy it craves.
“Russia has not stopped its war. It has not stopped killing Ukrainians. It has not stopped its relentless attacks on our cities. So what exactly has changed to justify the return of its national ice hockey teams to international competition?” he said.
The minister called on the international sporting community and Ukraine’s partners to resist Russia’s return to global competition, declaring there can be “no business as usual” while the war goes on. He also urged governments to bar Russian players from entering their territories, arguing that Russia’s actions must carry consequences, including in international sport.
“This shameful decision must be reversed,” he said.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) struck down the ban on Friday. It found that the sport’s global governing body, in justifying the suspension by citing “safety, security and other concerns,” had presented arguments “not supported by sufficient evidence.”
The ruling came after an appeal by the Russian Ice Hockey Federation against the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), which has kept Russian teams out of its competitions since the Russia-Ukraine war began in 2022. In July, the IIHF extended the restrictions through the 2026-27 season, pointing to the safety of competition participants. It maintained the measures were needed to protect participants and safeguard the integrity of its events.
“While the IIHF respects the authority of CAS and will act in accordance with its ruling, the outcome does not remove the concerns that informed its assessments,” the federation said.
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