Half a dozen European countries have said they will refuse to play against Russia at next year’s ice hockey world championships after a court ruled that the country must be allowed to compete. Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, the Czech Republic and Latvia have said they will refuse to play Russia at the 16-team tournament. Finland’s federation was the first to make the pledge, saying on Monday that it was “gathering as many countries as possible to form a common front to tell the IIHF that none of us will play against Russia”.
“Russia should be excluded from all international championships as long as the war in Ukraine continues,” Norway’s federation said in a statement. Swedish furniture company AJ Products said it would no longer sponsor the tournament. The German ice hockey federation, which is due to host the men’s world championships in May, said on Tuesday it was still discussing the situation internally and reiterated its opposition to Russia’s participation.
Canada’s foreign minister Anita Anand said on Friday the CAS decision was “very unwelcome” and that “all options are on the table”. Ukraine is due to take part in the world championships, having qualified for the first time in 20 years.
Source: Financial Times Companies · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing