Mikhail Degtyarev called the denial of visas to Russian hockey players "pure Nazism". According to him, Moscow intends to seek criticism of such decisions through sports organizations and international courts. He stated this in a conversation with Izvestia reporter Nikolai Ivanov. "The refusal to issue visas based on nationality is a shame. It is condemned all over the world, but they already believe it is normal. First of all, Canada. This, in general, is pure Nazism," Degtyarev said. The Russian Sports Minister emphasized that the Russian Federation has prepared an appeal to the International Olympic Committee and intends to act against the restrictions through international federations. He also admitted that countries that do not guarantee entry to accepted athletes could lose the right to host international tournaments. In the past, Sweden, Latvia, Finland, Norway and Denmark refused to play against the Russian hockey team in international tournaments. Canada then announced that it would not issue visas to the Russian youth team to participate in the World Cup. At the same time, the Court of Arbitration for Sport ordered the International Hockey Federation to admit Russia to international competitions from the 2026/27 season. More IZ RU news in max.

Mikhail Degtyarev called the denial of visas to Russian hockey players "pure Nazism". According to him, Moscow intends to seek criticism of such decisions through sports organizations and international courts. He stated this in a conversation with Izvestia reporter Nikolai Ivanov. "The refusal to issue visas based on nationality is a shame. It is condemned all over the world, but they already believe it is normal. First of all, Canada. This, in general, is pure Nazism," Degtyarev said. The Russian Sports Minister emphasized that the Russian Federation has prepared an appeal to the International Olympic Committee and intends to act against the restrictions through international federations. He also admitted that countries that do not guarantee entry to accepted athletes could lose the right to host international tournaments. In the past, Sweden, Latvia, Finland, Norway and Denmark refused to play against the Russian hockey team in international tournaments. Canada then announced that it would not issue visas to the Russian youth team to participate in the World Cup. At the same time, the Court of Arbitration for Sport ordered the International Hockey Federation to admit Russia to international competitions from the 2026/27 season. More IZ RU news in max.