Skoda has been the main sponsor of the men’s ice hockey World Championship for more than 30 years. On Wednesday the Czech automaker, part of Germany’s Volkswagen Group, said that arrangement is now in doubt.
“We do not support the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s decision regarding the participation of Russian national teams in IIHF competitions,” Skoda said in a statement. “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 consequence was spelled out plainly.
“If the Russian national team takes part in the tournament, we will reassess our involvement in the tournament and take further action,” the company said.
The 2027 World Championship in Germany:
| Teams competing | Federations refusing to play Russia | Sponsors pulling back |
|---|---|---|
| 16 | 7 | 3 |
Why is Russia allowed back in the hockey world championship?
The IIHF had excluded Russian teams since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine and had already decided to maintain that exclusion for this season, citing security concerns. The Court of Arbitration for Sport overturned the ban on Friday, which took the decision out of the federation’s hands entirely.
The federation sounds as though it was caught out by the response.
“The IIHF is aware of the recent statements made from key stakeholders regarding this decision and is carefully analyzing the scenarios around CAS’s ruling,” it said, adding that the impact of the ruling had been “significantly underestimated” and that it is still working out how to react.
Skoda isn’t the only commercial partner moving. German work clothing manufacturer Strauss says it will withdraw its branding entirely.
“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,” chief executive Henning Strauss said.
Swedish company AJ has said it will take its logos off the rink boards, and Svenska Spel has described the ruling as damaging to the sport.
The national federations moved first. Finland declared on Monday that it would play the tournament but not against Russia, and Sweden, Czechia, Norway, Denmark and Latvia followed. Austria became the seventh on Tuesday, with chief executive Alexander Helwig telling broadcaster ORF that as things stand his country would certainly not play Russia.
That accounts for half the sixteen teams due in Germany in May. Germany, meanwhile, is discussing whether to hand back the hosting rights altogether.
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