Ukraine's MAF calls for boycott of Russia in global ice hockey championship
Photo: Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha (facebook.com/andrij.sybiha)
International sports officials who reinstate Russian participation in competitions become accomplices to their war crimes. This applies to the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) as well, states Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha.
The head of Ukrainian diplomacy strongly condemned the decision to include Russia in the updated schedule for the 2027 World Junior Championship in place of Norway.
He emphasized that this raises serious concerns regarding potential influence from Moscow.
"Norwegian players @norskishockey earned their place through sporting merit. Stripping them of that place to accommodate a country waging a war of aggression is a disgrace to the entire sporting community," Sybiha noted.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs demands the reversal of the IIHF's disgraceful decision and expresses full support for the Norwegian side.
"We call for a boycott of Russia’s participation in the championship and urge the withdrawal of international funding of the federation for this disgraceful decision. The ice must not become a platform for Russia to break the ice with the civilised world," the minister emphasized.
He added that sport must never be used to legitimize an aggressor, and Russia must remain excluded from competitions for as long as its war against Ukraine continues.
Decisions regarding the admission of Russian athletes and teams to international competitions have consistently sparked sharp criticism and outrage in Ukraine.
In particular, Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha previously stated that any Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) decision regarding Russian hockey would stain the ice with Ukrainian blood, as allowing Russian participation effectively legitimizes Russia's aggression.
At the same time, against this backdrop, the International Ice Hockey Federation is making decisions regarding other aggressor national teams; for instance, Belarus has been barred from the 2027 Ice Hockey World Championship, with its national teams banned from participating in tournaments.
