Helsinki:Finland's national ice hockey team will refuse to play against Russia while the war against Ukraine continues, as stated by Finnish Ice Hockey Association chairman Heikki Hietanen.

According to Anadolu Agency – English, Hietanen announced the association's intention to prevent Russia from participating in international tournaments, following a recent ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) allowing Russia to return to international competition. He emphasized Finland's stance of not playing against Russia during the ongoing conflict.

Hietanen also mentioned efforts to align Finland's position with other Nordic countries and major hockey nations in Central Europe to persuade as many countries as possible to adopt a similar stance. He noted that if numerous countries choose to boycott games against Russia, it would be impossible to organize the matches. However, he refrained from naming specific countries, as their hockey associations are still deliberating internally.

Finland's sports minister, Mika Poutala, supported the position, doubting Russia's participation in the upcoming world championship in Germany. Emma Terho, an Executive Board member of the European Olympic Committees, appeared on Finnish broadcaster Yle's A-Studio program, echoing the firm stance and urging other countries to join the effort.

Initially, Hietanen had described the CAS ruling as incomprehensible, yet he confirmed that Finland would not boycott the world championship and would adhere to decisions made by the international sports court and the IIHF. The Finnish newspaper Ilta-Sanomat reported that Hietanen's comments initially caused concern within the Finnish Ice Hockey Association as the board had not yet made a decision on how to respond if Russia were permitted to compete.