The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has lifted the suspension the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) imposed on Russia in 2022, opening the way for Russian teams to compete again — including at the men's World Championship in Germany in 2027. The ruling has left the German Ice Hockey Federation (DEB) without a contingency plan.
DEB board chairman Frank Lutz testified as a witness in Zurich on Friday and said afterwards that the direction of the verdict had become clear to him from the judges' questions. He acknowledged the federation knew the grounds for the suspension were shaky: the IIHF's own disciplinary committee had already stated in May that "security reasons" were no longer sufficient. Speaking to MagentaSport on Saturday, Lutz said no Plan B existed and that he did not even know whether the tournament would go ahead.
He said the DEB must confront the option of giving the World Championship back, because it cannot enter an economic risk it is unable to carry. The federation had originally intended to finance its structural reform from the revenue of hosting the event, which Lutz said would have worked for a "normal tournament"; under the new circumstances, he argued, entirely different costs arise, particularly on security. Whether the DEB could withdraw without incurring contractual penalties remains unresolved.
Lutz stressed that the DEB is only the host while the IIHF is the organiser, meaning the world body decides whether Russia actually plays. Open questions include whether promoted Ukraine would drop out, whether a new schedule is needed and what happens to tickets already sold. The IIHF meets for a special session in Zurich on Monday, after which, Lutz said, the DEB can develop a Plan B or C.
In parallel, the DEB chairman is travelling to Berlin, describing the matter as now also a political decision. He pointed to visas as an alternative lever to keep Russia out: without visas, the team could not enter the country. Asked by the F.A.Z., the Federal Chancellery said the government regards the CAS ruling very critically and is working within the Schengen group of states for a uniformly restrictive visa policy towards Russia, with short-stay visas granted only under very narrow conditions.
Whether a hockey World Championship meets those conditions is unclear, and the issue extends beyond the tournament: Germany is bidding for the Olympic Games with Munich, and the International Olympic Committee insists on the autonomy of sport, meaning no entry would mean no Games. Thomas Weikert, the outgoing president of the German Olympic Sports Confederation, told the F.A.Z. that his organisation is in contact with the DEB and that the ruling must be evaluated in detail before any consequences are speculated about.
Canada has taken a different route. The under-20 World Championship there from the end of December is the first hockey tournament for which Russia has been readmitted, and Foreign Minister Anita Anand said on the sidelines of the G-20 foreign ministers' meeting in Atlanta on Friday that Canada maintains its restrictions on Russian athletes taking part in events in Canada that receive federal funding. In Europe, calls to tighten visa policy for athletes from Russia and Belarus have come notably from Sweden.
The Swedish hockey federation has criticised the CAS decision without raising a boycott, while its Finnish counterpart said it would support individual players or officials who do not wish to take part in such competitions. The Czech federation rejects Russia's participation but did not comment on a possible boycott. Lutz warned of the risk that countries could say they are unable to compete under these circumstances, citing Latvia, where legislation bars national teams from facing Russia — though whether the Latvians would actually boycott is currently unknown. His conclusion was that a decision is needed as soon as possible, after which the DEB will reconsider whether the 2027 World Championship can be staged in Germany.
Sources: FAZ.