Putin slams ‘political’ moves to keep Russia out of sport events

Vladimir Putin on Thursday slammed countries who oppose reinstating Russia into international sports as several European teams said they will refuse to play them at next year’s world ice hockey championships over the Ukraine war. Denmark, Norway, Sweden and the Czech Republic on Tuesday all followed Finland in saying they would not play Russia at the 2027 world championships to be held in Germany.

Russia has been banned from International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) events since Putin launched the 2022 war in Ukraine, but the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled in favour of admitting them to the world championships. Russia has been mostly banned from international sport since 2022 but some restrictions have eased in recent months — a trend slammed by Ukraine.

Putin praised the International Olympic Committee and CAS for “taking decisions to uphold the Olympic Charter and its principles”, as restrictions have been eased. “Unfortunately, however, not all countries are prepared to honour the commitments they once undertook, and restrictions on Russian sport — which are political rather than legal — continue,” Putin told a televised government meeting.

Amid the ice hockey stand-off, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Tuesday Russia would not be allowed to compete at next month’s World Junior Hockey Championships. The world championships are due to be held in Germany next May, but the draw and scheduling for the tournament have already taken place, without Russia. Putin has regularly appeared playing ice hockey during his long presidency.

Russia’s war against Ukraine has killed hundreds of thousands, forced millions to displace and is Europe’s worst conflict since World War II.