Why the IIHF Restricts Russia and Belarus From Hockey

Why is Russia excluded from IIHF hockey?

The available reports describe Russia’s exclusion and a recent Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruling, but they do not explain the original grounds for the IIHF restrictions in detail. CAS is a sports-arbitration body that decides disputes in sport. After its ruling on Russia, the IIHF said it disagreed with the decision but was taking the steps required by it.²

The IIHF says it is reviewing what conditions could be needed to protect its championships, the organization’s financial stability and the long-term future of international hockey. It also says it is looking at ways forward with affected national associations, including the Russian Ice Hockey Federation.²

What did the CAS ruling change?

According to the reports, CAS ruled that Russia should be reinstated in international hockey competitions. The IIHF has not announced that Russia is already back in competition. Instead, it says it is working through what the ruling requires and reviewing possible conditions for participation.¹²

This distinction matters: a ruling about reintegration does not, in the available information, settle how or when Russian teams will take part in particular tournaments. The reports do not give the full CAS decision or explain its precise legal requirements.

Why is Belarus still barred?

The IIHF’s council partially upheld an appeal by the Belarusian Ice Hockey Association against earlier IIHF decisions. However, the IIHF says its disciplinary board found no legal basis to order Belarus’s reintegration at this time.¹

The IIHF has barred Belarusian under-20 and senior men’s teams from the upcoming world junior championship and the 2027 world championships.¹ That is a current decision about specified events, not proof that the same outcome will apply indefinitely.

Which tournaments are affected?

The reports specifically name the upcoming world junior championship and the 2027 world championships as events from which Belarus’s under-20 and senior men’s teams are barred.¹ The 2027 IIHF World Championship is scheduled to take place in Düsseldorf, Gelsenkirchen and Mannheim, Germany, from May 13 to 30, 2027.³

The coverage also describes controversy around Russia’s possible return to the world junior event in Edmonton and Red Deer, Canada. It reports that several countries opposed the prospect and that Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canada would not allow Russia to compete at that event.¹ The supplied reports do not establish the final arrangements for Russia’s participation.

What could happen next?

The IIHF says it is exploring available options and may discuss the matter with affected national associations, including Russia’s hockey federation.² It says it needs to consider tournament safeguards, its finances and the sport’s longer-term future. The reports do not identify the conditions under review or say when the IIHF will make a final decision.

For readers, the practical takeaway is that Russia’s possible return remains under review, while Belarus has been excluded from the named upcoming events. The available information does not say whether either country will be eligible for later tournaments.