Andres Larsson, a member of the IIHF Council and president of the Swedish Ice Hockey Federation, expressed his view on the possible return of the Russian national team to the top division of the Ice Hockey World Championship following the decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to lift the suspension of Russian teams. If Russia returns, Ukraine could lose its spot in the top division.
Larsson, as quoted by the Sportbladet website, noted that there is very little time left to make a decision. “The CAS verdict is clear: our decision to exclude Russia has been ruled invalid. Does this mean that Russia will take Ukraine’s place? Yes, it was previously determined at the IIHF Congress that if Russia returns, it will return to the same level it was at before,” he said.
The Swedish official also emphasized that logistical issues must be resolved, as the World Championship involves a fixed number of teams, a specific number of games, and television rights that have already been allocated. Ukraine, which finished second in Division I (IA), was the last team to earn promotion.
The World Championship for adults in the elite division is scheduled to take place in Germany from May 14 to 30, 2027. Since the number of tournament participants remains unchanged—16 teams—the Ukrainian national team risks losing its spot to the Russian team.
Earlier, the host countries of the 2027 World Hockey Championships expressed their reactions to the CAS decision regarding the admission of Russian teams. Final decisions are expected to be made at the technical level as early as next week.
