Sponsors revolt over decision to allow Russia to compete at world hockey championship

Title sponsor Skoda threatens to pull support; Strauss, Nokian Tyres and AJ Furniture considering similar actions

Published Nov 04, 2026  •  3 minute read

Ice technicians work on attaching a Skoda Auto sign to centre ice on Saturday, April 26, 2008, in preparation for the IIHF World Hockey Championship at the Halifax Metro Centre. Photo by ERIC WYNNE /Postmedia Network files

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Pushback continued over the Court of Arbitration for Sport allowing Russian hockey players to return to international competition this season with a key men’s world championship sponsor and other companies threatening to pull financial support for next year’s tournament in Germany.

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Czech auto manufacturer Skoda, the title sponsor of the senior men’s tournament for more than 30 years, said in a statement to the CBC that it does not support the CAS decision allowing Russia to field a team and that it would “reassess” its involvement in the event if Russia takes part.

“With Russia’s aggression continuing, we believe the Russian national team’s return to the world championship is incompatible with the values we have consistently upheld,” the automaker, whose parent company is Germany’s Volkswagen Group, told CBC by email on Wednesday.

Skoda was joined in its protest by German workwear company Strauss, Nokian Tyres and AJ Furniture with those companies either questioning their commitment to the tournament or asking that their logos not be featured.

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A Strauss rinkboard advertisement is seen during a Finland-U.S. game during the IIHF World Championship on May 22, 2021. Strauss has threatened to “forgo all logo exposure” and possibly withdraw as a sponsor of the tournament if Russia is allowed to compete. Photo by Marvin Ibo Guengoer/Infront /Strauss

CAS ‘significantly underestimated’ decision: IIHF

Strauss CEO and chief brand officer Henning Strauss said in a statement issued on Wednesday morning that they were considering both measures.

“We have been a partner of the ice hockey world championship for many years and value our collaboration with the IIHF,” Strauss said. “Should Russia’s national team participate in the 2027 world championship in Germany as a result of the CAS ruling, we will forgo all logo exposure associated with the tournament.

“We are also considering withdrawing as a sponsor.”

The IIHF acknowledged the corporate pushback in a statement issued Wednesday, saying that it continues to disagree with the CAS ruling to allow Russia to compete in the world juniors, the men’s and women’s under-18 world championships and the senior men’s and women’s worlds and that the panel that heard the case “significantly underestimated” its impact.

“As presented to the CAS, the immediate reintegration of Russian teams presents significant practical and sporting challenges, including visa and entry requirements, security provisions, logistical constraints and consequences for competition formats, all compounded by the limited time available with some events only weeks away,” the IIHF said.

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The IIHF added that more information would be shared in the “coming days.”

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Russia not welcome at world juniors: PM

The corporate revolt followed Prime Minister Mark Carney’s comments on Tuesday that the Russian national team is not welcome at the IIHF World Junior Championship being hosted in Alberta next month unless the war in Ukraine ends.

Several European hockey federations, including Sweden, Finland, Latvia and the Czech Republic, had also said that their teams would not play Russia in international competition in the aftermath of the CAS ruling announced on Friday.

“To be clear, we respect the decisions of the Finns, the Czechs, the Swedes, those other nations, but this is a decision we take on our own,” Carney said at the Commonwealth Summit in Antigua. “Which is … while Russia and (Belarus) are supporting this illegal, unjustified and horrific war in Ukraine, as long as that’s going on, there will be none of those athletes competing for their countries in Canada.”

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His statement received backing from Hockey Canada, which said it welcomed the government’s “clear position” on the issue.

The decision to allow Russia to compete internationally was made after the CAS upheld one of three appeals submitted to the court this year by the Russian Ice Hockey Federation over an IIHF Council decision banning it from 2026-27 competitions over security and safety concerns.

The panel overseeing the appeal, consisting of one American, one Italian and one Egyptian representative, found that the IIHF’s arguments were “not supported by sufficient evidence.”

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