CDU foreign policy expert Norbert Röttgen has expressed strong opposition to allowing Russia to participate in the 2027 Ice Hockey World Championship in Germany, demanding that the German government refuse visas to Russian players. Röttgen told Stern that Russia is waging an internationally illegal war of aggression which is increasingly becoming a dehumanizing war of extermination against civilians and civil life in Ukraine. He stated that as long as this remains true, Russia should not be allowed to participate in international sporting competitions. Röttgen continued that the foundation of such events must be fairness and respect-values that putin’s Russia tramples on daily. Consequently, he argued, visas for Russian athletes and officials to enter Germany should also be denied. He stressed that international sport must not pretend to be normal, given that this normality stands in direct contrast to the brutality, killing, and death that Ukrainians endure daily due to Russian aggression.
Similarly, Green Party politician Anton Hofreiter voiced his concerns. The former parliamentary group leader called the decision of the International Court of Sport (CAS) fatal. He noted that ice hockey in Russia is highly politicized, as Russian national players have publicly supported Putin and his party in past elections. Given the ongoing Russian war of aggression, which continues with unwavering severity, and the increasing number of Russian war crimes, Hofreiter finds it impossible to believe that the German government should grant entry visas to the Russian team. He affirmed that Russia should not be afforded an international sporting platform.
The CAS had allowed Russia to participate in the World Championship just last week. The tribunal upheld an appeal from the Russian ice hockey federation against the international body, the IIHF. This ruling immediately lifted the IIHF’s decision not to permit Russian teams in the 2026/2027 season. As a result, the Russians are now eligible to play in the world championship in May 2027 in Germany.
