Court defends Russian reinstatement ahead of World Juniors, says IIHF failed to justify ban

Global News · Staff · 2026-11-05 18:15 UTC

The Court of Arbitration for Sport acknowledged the divisive reaction to its ruling but said the IIHF failed to provide sufficient evidence to justify maintain the Russia ban.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport defended its decision to reinstate Russia to international hockey competition Thursday, saying the ruling was based strictly on the legal arguments and evidence presented.

In a statement acknowledging the divisive reaction to last week’s ruling, CAS said the International Ice Hockey Federation failed to provide sufficient evidence to justify continuing its ban on Russian teams.

Russian and Belarusian teams have been barred from international hockey since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

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