Russian Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyarev has declared that Russia is in the right in a legal challenge filed against the International Ice Hockey Federation over its ban on Russian teams.
The Ice Hockey Federation of Russia submitted an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne on August 31, contesting the international governing body decision to maintain restrictions on Russian teams participating in international competitions.
A hearing before the tribunal has been scheduled for late October, and the ruling issued by the Court of Arbitration for Sport will be legally binding for the International Ice Hockey Federation.
Legal Challenge at Lausanne Tribunal
Writing on his official Telegram channel, Degtyarev stated that previous rulings from the tribunal in other cases, including appeals involving Russian skiers, had already confirmed the discriminatory nature of restrictions imposed on Russian athletes.
Degtyarev serves as both Minister of Sport of Russia and chairman of the Russian Olympic Committee, overseeing legal and administrative efforts regarding international competition bans.
The legal action follows internal disagreement within the governing body. The Disciplinary Board of the International Ice Hockey Federation had previously annulled an earlier decision by the IIHF Council that barred Russian national teams from competing in the 2026/27 season.
In its decision, the Disciplinary Board pointed out that there were insufficient grounds to extend the suspension of Russian national teams on safety grounds. However, the IIHF Council reconfirmed the restrictions against Russian teams on July 27.
History of International Ice Hockey Restrictions
The International Ice Hockey Federation originally suspended Russian national teams of all age groups from international competitions indefinitely at the end of February 2022.
In July, the organization turned down a request from the Russian federation to permit its national teams to return for tournaments in the 2026/27 season. An exception was granted only for the 2027 Women's World Championship.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport, based in Lausanne, Switzerland, is the supreme independent judicial institution in international sport, handling legal disputes between national federations and global governing bodies.
The upcoming hearing in late October will settle whether Russian national ice hockey teams remain excluded from international play or regain eligibility for future seasons.
