Sweden, Finland, and three other countries say they’ll boycott hockey games against Russia after the Court of Arbitration for Sport reinstates the Russian team
Several Northern European hockey federations have said their national teams will refuse to play Russia in international tournaments.
Sweden and Finland — which have two of the world’s strongest national teams — plan to boycott games against Russia, as do Latvia, Norway, and Denmark.
Most of these federations said their teams would still participate in the tournaments but would refuse to take the ice against Russia.
The Czech hockey federation also said it was willing to consider a boycott.
In late October, the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that Russia’s national team must be allowed to return to international hockey tournaments. The ruling takes effect immediately. The first tournament Russia is due to play in, the World Junior Championship, begins in Canada in late December.
The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) criticized the ruling but said it intended to comply. How that will work in practice remains unclear. Some decisions are expected to be made at an IIHF meeting scheduled for November 2–3.
Russia and international hockey
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