“Sport without borders”: in Slovakia supported the admission of Russians in hockey

The head of the Ministry of Sport of Slovakia Rudolf Guljak spoke in favor of the return of Russian hockey players to international competitions. In his opinion, sports should be free from political restrictions. The Minister said this on the air of the TV channel TA3.

Gulyak stressed that Russian athletes should be able to participate in world tournaments on equal terms with other national teams. Sports and culture are meant to bring people together, not divide them.

On October 30, it became known that the Court of Arbitration for Sport ordered the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) to admit Russian national teams to international competitions.

The IIHF expressed dissatisfaction with the court’s decision, but announced its intention to urgently determine further actions to return Russian teams to the tournaments.

At the same time, the prospect of Russian participation in the 2027 World Cup has already caused objections in a number of European countries. Representatives of Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Latvia and the Czech Republic said that their teams do not intend to play against Russian hockey players.

Earlier, the Minister of foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic also opposed the participation of the Russian team in the women’s junior world championship in 2027.