The Politicization of International Hockey and Soccer

By Henry Srebrnik, Saint John Telegraph-Journal

The Winter Olympics, including the men’s hockey tournament, are over, and the winners of the hockey medals were the United States gold, Canada silver, and Finland bronze. The American media were over the moon. But actually, they should all have an asterisk beside their awards, because a major hockey power, Russia, was not allowed to compete in the games.

The politicisation of international sports has also roiled soccer. There has been talk of a potential boycott of the World Cup being hosted by the United States, along with Canada and Mexico, this summer.

The Russian Ice Hockey Federation (RIHF) was not admitted to the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Council meeting held Jan. 21 and expressed its disappointment at not being able to participate. The RIHF announced it would appeal the IIHF’s decision to disqualify its teams from participating in international competitions during the 2026-2027 season to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

Meanwhile, as a result of the continuing ban, prominent Russian players within the National Hockey League, as well as players in other leagues, were conspicuous by their absence this year. They included Alex Ovechkin – the all-time NHL goal scoring leader – and major stars like Nikita Kucherov and Andrei Vasilevskiy,

With no Russian team, it wasn’t “real.” You simply cannot describe this as being the best of the best in the world without a nation that accounts for approximately 6.8 per cent of the players in the top professional hockey league. Who would watch the Stanley Cup playoffs if the seven NHL teams were excluded from even competing? Who today would condone major league baseball fielding all-white teams, which was the case before Jackie Robinson joined the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947?

It’s not just that a Russian team couldn’t play. Their presence might have made a difference in how the other teams ended up. Some might have done better, others less so, had they also played against Russia. And that could have affected the final standings.

“We were hoping for this year, but I guess not and it’s tough,” Boston Bruins player Nikita Zadarov told the ESPN television network. “Everyone is excited about the Olympics but us,” Columbus Blue Jackets Kirill Marchenko stated prior to the opening. “And of course we would love to be at the Olympics. Russia would have a great team because our roster would have looked so nice.”

Artemi Panarin of the Los Angles Kings suggested that “probably 98 per cent of the hockey players would love to play against us and they’re not thinking about anything else.” Ovechkin, the Washington Capitals star, who would have been the likely pick to captain a Russian Olympic squad, didn’t comment publicly.

Russia is also banned from international soccer. But the role of U.S. in hosting soccer’s World Cup has also come into question in recent months. It has even led to a cross-party group of politicians in Great Britain signing a motion in parliament calling on the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) to consider expelling the U.S. FIFA is the governing body that organizes soccer events all over the world.

With relations between Europe and the United States strained, calls for European teams to boycott the tournament are beginning to gain traction. Politicians, fans and soccer executives are among those who believe that the actions of President Donald Trump’s administration, particularly in relation to his calls to annex Greenland, a Danish entity, make participating in the competition problematic.

It isn’t just Danish politicians who could be forced to consider their options. In Germany, Roderich Kiesewetter sits on the Bundestag’s foreign affairs committee and expressed his concerns. “If Trump follows through on his announcements and threats regarding Greenland and starts a trade war with the EU, it's hard for me to imagine European countries participating in the World Cup,” he told the Augsburg Allgemeine newspaper.

Dutch broadcaster Teun van de Keuken has backed a public petition urging withdrawal from the competition while French parliamentarian Eric Coquerel has warned that participation risks legitimising policies that he argued undermine international human rights standards.

The producer of television and radio programs is leading a petition against participation by the Netherlands. He is now looking for the best way to get the petition to a broader global audience and tap into what he believes is broad fan dissatisfaction with the tournament. “This boycott idea is now popular amongst football fans, like me,” he contends. “I wouldn't like it if this happens as we won’t have a World Cup. But I think now the political situation is more important.”

Meanwhile, African countries, especially those with Muslim populations, are also contemplating a boycott due to Washington’s support of Israel’s war in Gaza. A coordinated boycott would require joint decisions by governments representing the qualified teams -- Morocco, Senegal, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Cape Verde and South Africa -- supported by the African Union, regional institutions and the Confederation of African Football.

But none of this will fly. After all, Trump was handed the “FIFA Peace Prize” at the World Cup draw in Washington D.C. in December, with FIFA President Gianni Infantino telling Trump, “We want to see hope, we want to see unity, we want to see a future. This is what we want to see from a leader.”