Finland Rules Out Ice Hockey Matches Against Russia While Ukraine War Continues
Hietanen said the association would take all possible steps to prevent Russia from returning to international tournaments under the current circumstances. He also confirmed that Finland intended to maintain its position regardless of the court's decision.
"We have aligned our own position so that Finland will not play against Russia," Hietanen said in a statement released by the association.
"Our line is that we will not play against Russia as long as the war of aggression against Ukraine continues," he added.
The announcement came after CAS ruled Friday that the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) must permit Russia to resume participation in international competitions immediately.
In response, Hietanen said Finland had been working to coordinate its approach with other Nordic countries as well as leading hockey nations in Central Europe. The objective, he explained, was to encourage as many national associations as possible to adopt a similar position.
"Of course, it will be impossible to organize the games if so many countries boycott by not playing against Russia," he said.
However, Hietanen declined to disclose which countries had been involved in the discussions, explaining that their respective ice hockey associations were still considering the matter internally and would communicate their decisions separately.
Finland's Sports Minister Mika Poutala welcomed the association's stance, expressing his belief that Russia would remain absent from the world championship scheduled to take place in Germany next spring.
Emma Terho, a member of the Executive Board of the European Olympic Committees (EOC), also supported Finland's position. Appearing alongside Poutala on Finnish broadcaster Yle's A-Studio program, she described the country's approach as firm and urged other national associations to join the effort.
The latest announcement followed an earlier statement by Hietanen after the CAS ruling, when he initially described the decision as difficult to understand but said Finland would not boycott the world championship. At that point, he indicated that the country would follow the decisions made by the international sports court and the IIHF.
Those initial remarks reportedly caused concern within the Finnish Ice Hockey Association, as the board had not yet agreed on how the country should respond if Russia were readmitted to international competition, according to reports.
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
