The lawyer predicted the steps of IIHF in Russia against the background of “dirty work” of Canada
After the admission of Russia to international hockey tournaments, Canada announced the refusal to issue visas to Russians to participate in the youth world Cup. Lawyer Alexei Panich believes that this will actually make the participation of Russian teams impossible
The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) is unlikely to rescind Russia’s suspension on a different basis, as it requires new circumstances and new legal regulation. This was stated by “RBC Sport” Chairman of the Bar “Nikolskaya Consulting” Alexey Panich.
After the start of the military operation in Ukraine in 2022, the IIHF suspended the Russian national team from its tournaments. The Russian Ice Hockey Federation has challenged the non-admission of hockey players to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). The latter ordered the IIHF to allow Russian teams to participate in international tournaments. Several European countries have threatened to boycott the competition, with Canada saying it will not issue Russian athletes visas to enter the 2027 World Youth Championships.
“I don’t think the IIHF will take such a step [to suspend Russia on another non-security basis].” A new solution requires new circumstances and new legal regulation. Realizing that any new decision will be challenged again at CAS, the IIHF is unlikely to take such a risk. But the question is: why would the IIHF again ban Russia from international competitions, if other countries do all the dirty work for it, for example, by introducing visa restrictions, Panich said.
According to the lawyer, as a result, the IIHF will allow Russian teams to the tournaments, but in fact such participation will be impossible due to the position of the host countries. “In any case, the CAS has no mechanism to enforce its decisions,” he said.
Panich believes the IIHF is unlikely to suffer serious consequences if Canada hosts the tournament, despite the denial of visas to Russians. “IIHF may claim that the non-performance occurred for reasons beyond its control. The weakness of this position is that the IIHF could theoretically move the tournament. The question will be whether the transfer is possible six weeks before the start, the lawyer explained.
When asked about the possible punishment of the IIHF for refusing to postpone the tournament, Panich said that the Russian Ice Hockey Federation (FHR) could file a second lawsuit with CAS for inaction. However, it will be difficult to win it, since it will have to prove that the organization had a real opportunity to move the World Cup to another country in such a short time.
According to him, Russia needs to seek from these organizations a tough position on the transfer of competitions to “more neutral” countries, but the range of such for hockey is extremely limited.
The first major competition for Russian teams after their return to the international arena may be the World Youth Championship, which will be held in Canada from December 26, 2026 to January 5, 2027.
