Eight nations plan Russia hockey boycotts after international return ruling

Finland and seven other countries have said they will boycott ice-hockey games against Russia following a ruling requiring its return to international competition, according to reporting published by the Guardian on Tuesday. The opposition comes as the sport confronts the continuing consequences of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine for both national teams and local clubs.

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The Guardian reported that the Court of Arbitration for Sport had ordered the International Ice Hockey Federation to allow Russia back before the men's world championship in Germany in May. Finland's hockey association responded by saying it would boycott matches against Russia. Sweden, Norway, Denmark, the Czech Republic, Austria, Latvia and Canada have since taken the same position, the newspaper reported.

The dispute reaches beyond the international tournament calendar. RoKi, based in Rovaniemi and playing in Finland's second tier, previously hosted summer camps for teams from Russia's Kontinental Hockey League and arranged pre-season friendlies with Russian opponents. Chief executive Mika Toivola told the Guardian that Finnish and Russian clubs had maintained extensive links, with players also moving between the two countries' leagues before the invasion.

Toivola supported the boycott and opposed the return of Russian national teams to major tournaments while the war continues. He said ending the war was a prerequisite for rebuilding sporting cooperation, and stressed the impact on Ukrainian players, clubs and families. Finland and Russia have not met at national-team level since the invasion, according to the report.

Amateur hockey has also lost established cross-border connections. The Barents Hockey League brought together teams from Finland, Norway and Russia but paused during the pandemic. Janne Tervahauta, of the Ivalo-based Finnish team Tunturi-Kiekko, said his team's contact with Russian sides stopped after the invasion. In Norway, Kirkenes Puckers player William Sjøstrand said he still maintained personal contact with Russian players and hoped games could eventually resume.

Margrethe Alnes of the Barents Secretariat, which organised the league, told the Guardian that the project had sustained friendships and activities for adults and children for at least a decade. She said rebuilding trust would take time even after the war ends, underscoring the separate challenge facing local teams regardless of decisions about international eligibility.