Russia and Belarus have been banned from all international ice hockey since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The ban was formally justified on security grounds.
Recently, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) overturned Russia’s ban, creating chaos in the hockey world.
Several countries, including Sweden, are refusing to play Russia in upcoming championships, and the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) has said it intends to start a dialogue with the affected federations, including the Russian Ice Hockey Federation, “to find a constructive way forward”.
“Return to normal”
This spring, the Men’s Ice Hockey World Championship is set to be played in Germany. According to Aftonbladet, German Federation CEO Frank Lutz has said he will cancel the World Championship if Russia is involved.
Now the German parties Die Linke and AfD, which are at opposite ends of the political spectrum, say they want to see Russia participate in the World Championship.
We see this as a return to normal. Russian athletes should be granted visas, says Jörn König of the right-wing nationalist AfD, according to Bild.
König believes that the USA has never been excluded from the World Championship, even though the country, according to him, has waged a war that violates international law.
Christian Görke of the left-wing party Die Linke tells Bild that CAS’s decision should be respected.
The government says no
The German government has previously said that it would be impossible in principle to organize a World Championship with Russia as one of the participating countries.
The World Championship in Germany will be played in May in Düsseldorf and Mannheim.
What do you think?