CAS rules that Russia can compete in world championships

FRANKFURT - The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled on Friday that Russian teams can compete in next year's men's and women's world championships, overturning International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) decisions to exclude them from its competitions. CAS upheld appeals lodged by the Russian Ice Hockey Federation against the IIHF barring its teams from participating in events during the 2026-27 season. The Lausanne-based court said the IIHF had not presented sufficient evidence to justify its assessment that security concerns required Russia's continued exclusion from its competitions. The first tournament affected by the ruling is the world junior championship in Canada, which begins on December 26. CAS said the ruling did not address issues such as whether Russian teams should compete under a neutral flag and without national symbols, as athletes from the country have done in other sports. RUSSIA WELCOMES RULING, IIHF DISAPPOINTED The IIHF has exclud