The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) has updated the schedule for the 2027 World Junior Championship, including the Russian national team. As a result, Russia has taken a place among the ten participants of the elite division, while Norway, which had the lowest ranking among the teams, was relegated to Division 1A. This was officially announced on November 8 by the Norwegian Ice Hockey Federation, citing information received from the IIHF. According to Ukrainian and Russian sports media, the change in format is a direct consequence of the October 30 decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which ordered the federation to take steps to return the Russian junior team to international competition.
CAS Ruling as a Trigger for Reassignment
The key factor in updating the calendar was the decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport on October 30. Under this ruling, the IIHF is required to ensure the return of the Russian junior team to the international calendar. On this basis, the federation revised the composition of the elite division for 2027, including Russia while simultaneously removing the lowest-ranked team, Norway. Thus, the reassignment is formally regulatory and based on the arbitration ruling rather than the sporting form of the teams.
Norway’s Position: Participation Not Supported
General Secretary of the Norwegian Ice Hockey Federation, Petter Salsten, stated that the organization does not support Russia's participation in international competitions as long as the war against Ukraine continues. However, the final situation regarding the Norwegian team's participation in the tournament remains uncertain: the federation is awaiting further information from the IIHF on how the decision will be implemented and what guarantees will remain for the Norwegian hockey players who fairly earned their place among the best.
Reaction from Kyiv: Criticism and Call for Boycott
Ukrainian Minister of Youth and Sports, Matviy Bidnyi, sharply criticized the updated championship scheme. He stated that Norwegian hockey players had fairly earned their right to compete among the world's strongest teams and that "the consequence of this decision is unacceptable and undermines the principles of fair play." The minister emphasized that the attempt to deprive Norway of its spot in the elite division for the sake of returning the aggressor state's team is "a direct disregard for the entire sports system." He also warned that a similar scenario could be applied to the 2027 World Championship, where the Ukrainian national team is set to compete, and called for an immediate and transparent investigation into the individuals involved in making the decision, specifically mentioning the potential role of former IIHF president René Fasel, who received Russian citizenship in 2023.
Visas and Boycott: Blocking Actual Participation
Despite the formal inclusion in the scheme, Russia's actual participation remains in question. The Norwegian Ice Hockey Federation reported that Canadian authorities do not intend to issue visas to Russian players for the tournament, and a number of countries have warned of their readiness to refuse matches against the Russian team. Minister Bidnyi supported Canada's visa restrictions as an effective tool for exclusion, thanked the countries that announced their refusal to play against Russia, and called on the government of Germany—the host of the 2027 World Championship—to impose similar restrictions. "We call on all participating countries of the championship to support a boycott," he declared, adding that "international sports are not a platform for whitewashing an aggressor."
