Mayor Piia Elo set out Turku’s position publicly on November 2, three days after the Court of Arbitration for Sport ordered Russian national teams back into IIHF competitions.

“As long as Russia is waging a war of aggression in Ukraine, we cannot accept the Russian national team playing in Turku,” Elo said in a statement carried by Bluewin.

The tournament is scheduled to run from December 26, 2027 to January 5, 2028, co-hosted by Turku and Tampere. Elo acknowledged to Daily Faceoff that the decision was taken by Turku alone and had not been coordinated with Tampere.

Finland rallying a common front

The country’s national federation is working the same lever. Finnish Ice Hockey Association chairman Heikki Hietanen said the organization is contacting counterparts across the sport to coordinate a refusal to face Russia.

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“We are currently gathering as many countries as possible to form a common front to tell the IIHF that none of us will play against Russia in this situation,” Hietanen told Daily Faceoff.

Several federations are already pushing in the same direction. Sweden, Czechia, Canada and Germany have each criticized Russia’s reinstatement, though a formal joint position has not been announced.

Germany is especially exposed. The country hosts the 2027 men’s World Championship, and its federation chairman Frank H. Lutz said that “allowing Russia in has significant security, political and financial consequences for us as hosts,” according to Al Jazeera.

An IIHF boxed in by its own court

The ruling at the heart of the dispute came from CAS on October 30, after hearings in Lausanne on October 23 and 26. The panel found the IIHF’s safety and security arguments were not supported by sufficient evidence and cleared Russia to return across five tournaments, starting with the World Juniors that opens in Edmonton and Red Deer on December 26, as reported by TSN.

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The IIHF said it would comply but publicly distanced itself from the outcome.

“While the IIHF respects the authority of CAS and will act in accordance with its ruling, the outcome does not remove the concerns that informed its assessments,” the federation said.

Hietanen indicated the Finnish federation would keep pressing, telling Daily Faceoff that he had made Finland’s position clear and that the work of lining up other nations would continue.

The first flashpoint arrives in less than eight weeks: on December 26, Russia’s World Juniors squad would be cleared to take the ice in Alberta under the ruling.

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