Former IOC President Bach called for Russia's return to the Ice Hockey World Cup

On November 13, former President of the International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach called for the participation of the Russian national team in the 2027 IIHF World Championship in Germany.

"My position is clear and has always been this: it is not for states to decide who, when, how and why can participate in sports competitions," he explained in an interview with the German portal Sport1.

Bach stressed that countries need to maintain the autonomy and neutrality of sports, and the admission of participants should depend on sports qualifications, not political attitudes. He added that he consistently adheres to this approach, complements "Газета.Ru ".

On October 30, the Court of Arbitration for Sport ordered the International Ice Hockey Federation to allow Russian national teams to participate in international competitions. At the same time, Canada, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Latvia, the Czech Republic, Austria and Switzerland announced their intention to boycott the games against the participation of the Russian national team in the World Cup in 2027.

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Yesterday, Russian Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyarev noted that countries that impede the enforcement of the decisions of the Court of Arbitration for Sport should be deprived of the right to hold international competitions. Earlier, the minister also indicated that the Russian side would fight the boycott of the national team and visa refusals. In his opinion, the refusal of rivals to enter the games with the Russians casts doubt on the usefulness of the championship titles won without such competition.