Back to normal or a threat to the tournament? The German sides commented on the possible participation of the Russian Federation in the World Hockey Championship in Germany.
Several German parties spoke about the decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne to enter the Russian national team into the World Hockey Championship in Germany in 2027:.
The far-right opposition Alternative for Germany supported Russia's participation in the tournament. "We see this as a return to normalcy. Of course, visas must be issued to Russian athletes," Jören König, AfD representative in the Bundestag for sports policy, told ZDF television. He noted that the US team has never been suspended from competition, despite the fact that the country has fought "wars that are contrary to international law".
The opposition Left Party also supported the participation of the Russian Federation. The representative of the left-wing faction in the Bundestag on sports policy, Christian Gorka, said that the CAS decision should be accepted and not turn a blind eye to the "sad reality", what is more, that in other sports athletes from the Russian Federation have already returned to competitions.
The Green opposition party believes that the participation of the Russian national team is inconsistent with the principle of international solidarity and fair play. "The fact that the top hockey powers do not want to play against Russia after the CAS decision shows how much this decision jeopardizes the reputation of the entire tournament," said Katarina Droga, co-chair of the Green faction in the Bundestag.
The ruling CDU/CSU and SPD also do not support the admission of Russian athletes to the tournament. SPD spokeswoman for sports policy, Bettina Lug, told ZDF that it is now not possible to talk about a "return to normal" in relations with Russia. And CDU/CSU representative Stefan Mayer said Germany's issuance of visas to hockey players from the Russian Federation would undermine the "foreign policy consensus with the allied countries".