Czechia officially says its hockey teams will not play Russia

The Czech Ice Hockey Association has officially announced that, under current circumstances, it will not play against Russian national teams and does not support their return to international ice hockey competition. Czechia thus joins several European federations that have refused to face aggressor states. The move matters because the unity of Europe's leading hockey nations helps determine whether Russian teams come back into international play.

"Nobody should doubt the Czech hockey position. From the very start we have clearly rejected the return of Russian national teams to international competitions under present conditions. On this issue we fully agree with Finland, Sweden and other federations," said Černijs.

The federation had said earlier that if the major European hockey nations agreed to stop playing Russia, Czechia would not stay on the sidelines. Černijs also stressed that the federation does not intend to weaken Europe's shared stance, and that the only difference was in the timing of the formal decision, not in its conviction.

Practical issues

The Czechs also have to deal with practical matters tied to the women's under-18 world championship, due in Ostrava in January. The federation plans to meet government officials to discuss the possibility of not issuing visas to the Russian team.

Latvia's position

Following the ruling by CAS, the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the Latvian Hockey Federation has restated its position as well. Together with the federations of Finland, Norway, Denmark and Sweden, it has informed the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) that it will not play against aggressor states.