CAS judges who voted to reinstate Russia visited Moscow before ruling

Two of the three CAS judges who voted to return Russia to international hockey had visited Moscow shortly before the ruling. The decision obliges the IIHF to reinstate Russian national teams. Italian lawyer Giulio Palermo, who chaired the panel, attended a Moscow arbitration congress on September 22, and Egyptian arbitrator Ismail Selim spoke at a Russia-focused event in May 2025. The unanimous ruling was issued on October 30. The decision could see Russia replace Ukraine, which finished second in the 2026 World Championship Group 1A, in the elite division. Ukraine was set to return to top-tier hockey for the first time in 20 years.