The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) announced Saturday morning that Belarus will not be allowed to participate in the 2026 World Juniors or the 2027 World Championship, but the organization is still ‘exploring all available avenues’ on Russia’s potential participation in the tournaments.
“In accordance with the principles approved by the 2022 IIHF Semi-Annual Congress, the IIHF Council has decided that Belarusian U20 and senior men’s national teams will not participate in the IIHF World Junior Championship 2027 and the IIHF World Championship 2027, respectively,” the statement read.
Russia and Belarus have both been banned from participating in international hockey tournaments since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began in 2022.
“The Council’s decision follows the IIHF Disciplinary Board’s ruling, which partially upheld the Belarusian Ice Hockey Association’s appeal against the Council’s decisions of 27 July 2026. In its ruling, the Disciplinary Board confirmed that it had no legal basis to order immediate reintegration.
“In reaching its decision, the Council took into account the existing sporting and organizational arrangements for both Championships, including competition structures, schedules, ticketing and operational planning. Having considered these circumstances, the Council determined that Belarusian national teams will not participate in these two Championships in the 2027 season.”
In October, the Court of Arbitration of Sport (CAS) ruled that Russia and Belarus must immediately be reinstated into international ice hockey competitions, overruling sanctions placed by the IIHF.
In its announcement, the CAS cited a lack of sufficient evidence to support the IIHF’s security concerns. The CAS said its ruling did not address issues such as whether Russia should be required to play without national symbols as a team of neutral athletes, as in some other Olympic sports, or other “organizational consequences.”
The IIHF stated in its announcement on Saturday that it “continues to disagree with the decision of the CAS concerning Russian participation in IIHF Championships,” but outlined that the organization is “taking the necessary steps required by the CAS ruling and reviewing what conditions would need to be met to safeguard our Championships, protect the organization’s financial stability and secure the long-term future of international ice hockey.”
The IIHF pointed to a responsibility to preserve international competition and protect the sport as a whole - which may refer to the integrity of the tournament after the fallout of October’s reinstatement announcement.
Canadian prime minister Mark Carney announced on Wednesday that Russian athletes would not be permitted entry to Canada to participate in next month’s World Juniors, which are taking place in Alberta.
Multiple nations, including Sweden, Finland, the Czech Republic, Norway, Latvia and Denmark came out with statements signing up for a boycott of games against Russia as long as the war in Ukraine is ongoing.
The IIHF’s statement ended with a stated goal to figure out a way to work out Russian reinstatement with the participating countries.
“The IIHF is therefore exploring all available avenues, including opening discussions with all affected MNAs, including the Russian Ice Hockey Federation, to identify a constructive way forward that serves the interests of global ice hockey.”