Sweden refuses to play Russia at World Championship after CAS ruling

Stockholm's position on matches against the Russians

The Swedish national ice hockey team has officially refused to play matches against the Russian team at the World Championships. This decision was made after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne obliged the federations to return the Russians to international competitions. "Tre Kronor" refused to play against representatives of the aggressor country in all age categories, citing the prolonged war of the Russian Federation against Ukraine.

Leadership reaction and international support

This initiative was announced on the official website of the Swedish Ice Hockey Association. The head of the organisation, Anders Larsson, noted that this position has found support among other European states. The leadership of the IIHF (International Ice Hockey Federation) was also informed of the Swedish team's intentions. It is worth noting that the 11-time world champions do not intend to boycott the tournaments entirely, but only refuse direct confrontations with the Russian national team.

Official statement by Anders Larsson

«Збірна Швеції не гратиме проти Росії на майбутніх чемпіонатах світу. Ми домовилися з низкою інших країн спільно оголосити про це рішення. Участь Росії в міжнародних хокейних турнірах, поки триває війна в Україні, є абсолютно неприйнятною. Це рішення означає, що збірні Швеції не проводитимуть матчів проти збірних Росії. Водночас це рішення не передбачає відмови Швеції від участі в чемпіонатах світу, у яких виступає Росія» (The Swedish national team will not play against Russia at future World Championships. We have agreed with a number of other countries to jointly announce this decision. Russia's participation in international ice hockey tournaments while the war in Ukraine continues is absolutely unacceptable. This decision means that the Swedish national teams will not play matches against the Russian national teams. At the same time, this decision does not imply Sweden's refusal to participate in World Championships in which Russia is competing), Larsson emphasised.