Alexander Coates - on the reluctance of the Scandinavians and the Baltics to play hockey with us: "Gold without Russia is like winning a race where the favorite was locked in the locker room."
The Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld the Russian Hockey Federation's appeal and overturned the International Hockey Federation's decision to suspend Russia. Then Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Norway, Czech Republic and Latvia refused to play against our national team in the 2027 World Cup in Germany.
The Scandinavians even said that these games would cause them psychological trauma and called on Russia to voluntarily withdraw from the tournament. Russian Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyarev said that would not happen.
"How gentle the tough-looking Scandinavian Vikings turned out to be. And hockey has always sold itself as a man's game. The boards crack, sticks break, teeth fly on the ice. The heroes of the ice arenas seem to be gone.
The Norwegian FA has announced that it will not play against Russia because it cares about the "mental health, well-being and personal safety" of the players. The Swedes stood on the same line. Grown men, who suffer dozens of power moves during the season and recover quickly from injuries, suddenly revealed themselves as fragile porcelain figurines with a delicate mental organization.
A hockey player who needs a peace of mind certificate before a game is no longer a "Ter Kronor", but a macrame circle. disgraceful.
The White House brought our teams back here. The International Federation has never explained why they are dangerous. Then the last arguments of the weak were used: “We will not play,” “We will not put them into the land,” “We have an injury.” This is not a position, but a lack of a beautiful press release. This means technical defeat. Or denying the right to hold competitions.
For four years they shared medals in tournaments without a main opponent and got used to standing comfortably. Gold without Russia is like winning a race where the favorite is locked in the locker room. It's nice, but nothing to be proud of," says HRC member, KP military correspondent Alexander Coates.