Russia and Belarus were barred from the World Hockey Championships
The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) has decided to bar the Russian and Belarusian national teams from participating in the World Championships during the 2026–2027 season. The federation cited security risks and concerns about sports integrity as the reasons for its decision. At the same time, the issue of the Russian women’s national team’s participation in the 2027 World Championship will be considered separately.
The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) has extended the suspension of the Russian and Belarusian national teams from major international tournaments. Both teams will not participate in the World Championships for the 2026–2027 season.
The IIHF reported that the decision was made after assessing the situation. They concluded that risks to the safety of competition participants and sports integrity remain at this time. “Russia will not be allowed to participate in the 2026–2027 IIHF World Championships due to ongoing risks to safety and sports integrity,” the federation noted.
This applies to the 2027 Men’s World Championship and the Junior World Championship. At the same time, the IIHF plans to consider the participation of the Russian women’s national team in the 2027 IIHF World Championship separately in November 2026. The federation also confirmed that the Belarusian national team will not compete in the men’s and junior World Championships of the 2026–2027 season. The decision was also attributed to ongoing security risks.
As a reminder, Russia and Belarus were suspended from international hockey tournaments following the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Since then, the IIHF has reviewed the situation on multiple occasions but has each time kept the restrictions in place. Meanwhile, in early July 2026, the International Olympic Committee temporarily reinstated the membership of the Russian Olympic Committee and lifted the recommendations regarding mandatory neutral status for Russian athletes and teams. Following this, some international sports federations began to reconsider their decisions.
However, the IIHF has decided not to change its position for now. The federation emphasizes that the issues of safety and the integrity of tournaments remain paramount. Despite this, discussions regarding the return of Russian athletes to international competitions continue. Many European countries and sports organizations still oppose their participation due to Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine. This is reported on the federation’s website.
On July 31, the International Olympic Committee commented on the European Union’s decision to impose sanctions against Mikhail Degtyarev, president of the Russian Olympic Committee. The IOC noted that it is closely monitoring the situation, while emphasizing its independence from the political decisions of individual states and international organizations.
