Former IOC President Thomas Bach speaks in favor of Russia's participation in the 2027 Ice Hockey World Championship
According to Bach, it is necessary to preserve the autonomy and neutrality of sport.
Thomas Bach, photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images
Former President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Thomas Bach believes that the Russian national ice hockey team should not be barred from participating in the 2027 World Championship in Germany, DPA reports.
“My position is clear, it has always been clear: it should not depend on states and governments who can participate in sports competitions,” Bach stated.
According to Bach, it is necessary to preserve the autonomy and neutrality of sport. “Decisive factors must be sports qualification criteria, not political views,” the former head of the IOC added.
The next World Championship is scheduled for May 2027 in Germany. There is no qualifying tournament for the World Championship in ice hockey like there is in football or basketball.
The tournament takes place in May; 16 national teams, split into two groups, participate in the top division of the World Championships. The teams that finish in last place in their groups at the World Championship leave the elite division and are replaced by the teams that won Division I.
In 2026, Slovenia and Italy were relegated from the elite division, replaced by Ukraine and Kazakhstan.
Russia has not participated in World Championships since 2022. However, the International Ice Hockey Federation has a rule allowing the team with the lowest ranking to be dropped, and Ukraine has the lowest ranking.
A similar decision was made regarding the World Junior Championship, scheduled to take place in Canada in December, dropping Norway—which has the lowest ranking—in order to bring Russia back.
The national teams of Norway, Sweden, Latvia, Finland, Denmark, and the Czech Republic have announced that they will not play against Russia at the 2027 World Championship. In addition, several IIHF sponsors have threatened to withdraw their support for the World Championship if the Russian national team is allowed to compete.