The Court of Arbitration for Sport issued a verdict returning Russian hockey national teams to international championships across five tournaments scheduled for 2027.
The International Ice Hockey Federation expressed disappointment over the ruling, while the Slovak Ice Hockey Association stated it respects the decision. The verdict sharply divided public opinion, leading to a heated discussion on the television program “Let’s look at it.” hosted by Jozef Šivák on TA3, where political and athletic figures clashed over moral consistency in international sports.
Eduard Chmelár, a political analyst and former adviser to the prime minister, pointed to what he described as a double standard in judging military conflicts.
“We keep repeating, the Russians invaded Ukraine, of course, we all agree here that this is military aggression, a violation of international law,” Chmelár said during the debate, acknowledging the military aggression against Ukraine while questioning the boycott logic if all nations violating international rules are not treated equally.
Chmelár directed his criticism toward Dominik Hašek, who appeared via telelink from Prague and has campaigned against the participation of Russian athletes. During the broadcast, the analyst displayed an archive photograph from October 14, 2008, showing Hašek standing beside then-U.S. President George W. Bush at the White House.
“Mr. Hašek says we shouldn’t put an athlete’s career above human lives, so I have to ask him why he put his career above human lives at a time when Bush was massacring hundreds of thousands of people in Iraq?” Chmelár asked, arguing that Hašek and other NHL players earned millions during a major U.S. military intervention without facing similar moral boycotts.
Hašek responded that he holds no personal animosity toward individual Russian players but maintains that their public platform serves as advertising for an imperialist war.
“Every Russian citizen, as well as Alexander Ovechkin, unfortunately now at a time when Russia is waging an imperialist war against the country of Ukraine, unfortunately those boys or girls, or every citizen of the Russian land, is a huge advertisement for that Russian war, for those actions,” Hašek said on the broadcast.
Hašek argued that the NHL shares responsibility by allowing Russian athletes to compete and generate propaganda value.
“That’s why I always say that the NHL is responsible for the many people who have been maimed and killed, and sooner or later the NHL will have to pay tens of billions of dollars for the terrible damage it has caused.” Hašek explained, adding his view that the league will eventually face immense financial accountability for damages.
In the discussion, guests included Ivan Husár, Róbert Pukalovič, Juraj Mikuš and Eduard Chmelár.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling applies to five tournaments in 2027, with junior teams potentially returning at the turn of the year in Canada.
Eduard Chmelár presented a photograph from October 14, 2008, showing Dominik Hašek at the White House with President George W. Bush, questioning why hockey players continued careers in the NHL during the Iraq War.
Hašek argues that sports federations should establish clear rules giving Russian athletes the opportunity to explicitly condemn the war in Ukraine, after which they could compete freely.