IIHF appeals ruling allowing Russia into international hockey tournaments over arbitrators' Moscow visits
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Russia national junior ice hockey team (Photo: Ice Hockey Federation of Russia)
The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) questioned the impartiality of arbitrators who reviewed the case involving the suspension of Russia's national teams.
The organization filed an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), citing undisclosed ties between two arbitrators and Russia.
TSN journalist Gord Miller first reported the appeal. The information was later confirmed to The Athletic by a source within the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The arbitrators in question are Italy's Giulio Palermo and Egypt's Ismail Selim. According to The Athletic, both attended conferences in Moscow over the past 18 months but failed to disclose their ties to the Russian side.
On Oct. 30, CAS upheld an appeal by the Russian Ice Hockey Federation and overturned the suspension of Russian national teams from international competitions organized by the IIHF. The ruling cleared the way for Russia to compete at the 2027 men's Ice Hockey World Championship in Germany.
The arbitrators justified their decision by saying the IIHF had failed to provide sufficient evidence of security risks that would warrant excluding Russian national teams. The case was heard by a three-member panel consisting of Palermo, Selim and Britain's Mark Howell.
Less than two weeks after the ruling, Swiss publication Inside Paradeplatz reported that at least two arbitrators may have had personal interests in the case. In particular, the report highlighted their trips to Moscow before they were appointed to the arbitration panel.
The 2027 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship's top division will take place in Germany from May 14 to 30. Ukraine will compete among the world's top teams for the first time in 20 years.
Ukraine will face Switzerland, Finland, Sweden, Germany, Latvia, Austria and Slovenia in Group A.
Earlier, Ukrainian Youth and Sports Minister Matvii Bidnyi said Ukraine's national team intended to compete at the 2027 Ice Hockey World Championship despite Russia's potential return to international competition.
However, he stressed that the Ukrainian team would not take the ice against Russia.
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