Tretiak: Russian Hockey Federation Appeals to CAS

Vladislav Tretiak, president of the Ice Hockey Federation of Russia, said the federation has filed a full appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against the IIHF decision that keeps Russian national teams out of international competition.

The federation submitted the complaint to CAS on 31 August. A hearing is set for late October 2026.

Tretiak said the process required careful work with lawyers on every aspect of the case. He also said Russia's men's and women's student teams will take part in the Universiade in January.

"This is a first signal, and he hopes it will turn into the ringing of a bell," Tretiak said.

The route to CAS ran through IIHF's own disciplinary process. The federation first filed with the IIHF Disciplinary Board to meet procedural deadlines, then, after reaching an agreement with the international federation, took the case directly to CAS.

The federation's statement said: "If CAS decides to admit Russian teams to world championships, this decision will be binding on the IIHF."

Sports minister Mikhail Degtyarev, writing on his Telegram channel, said "the right in this case is on Russia's side." He added: "The discriminatory nature of the restrictions against our athletes has already been confirmed by several CAS rulings in other cases, including those involving our skiers."

Russian and Belarusian teams have been barred from IIHF-sanctioned tournaments since February 2022. Degtyarev said in March 2026 that the ministry and the federation were preparing the CAS case, arguing the IOC had recommended admitting Russian and Belarusian athletes in junior disciplines but that the IIHF Council kept the ban in place regardless.