Five countries refused to play with Russia in the world championship of hockey The hockey teams of Norway, Sweden, Latvia, Denmark and Finland refused to play with the Russian national team in the world championship in May. Earlier, Reuters reported that the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) is obliged to enter the Russian team into the tournament according to a decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne. "Based on the current situation and the information available so far, Norway will not play against Russia in the World Cup, which will be held in Germany in May 2027. The remaining games in the group will take place as usual," the Norwegian Hockey Association said in a statement. The organization believes that "Russia should be excluded from participating in all international championships as long as the war in Ukraine continues." A similar statement was made by the head of the Finnish Hockey Federation, Heikki Hytanen. The Swedish Hockey Association also announced its refusal to play with Russia, noting that it had agreed with "several other countries" to announce the decision jointly. The Latvian Hockey Federation also said that in recent days they have been working to develop a joint position "in close cooperation" with representatives of Norway, Denmark and Finland. Latvia is ready to concede a technical loss to abandon the match with the Russian Federation. Meanwhile, the IIHF stated that they agree to implement the CAS decision, but still consider the participation of the Russian team in the World Hockey Championship as a security issue.