"Disgusting countries" and "skunks": Russians insult Europeans after CAS ruling on hockey

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne issued a ruling obliging the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) to restore the participation of Russian national teams in its tournaments. This decision triggered a storm of reactions in the Russian media space, where representatives of the hockey and biathlon elite welcomed the verdict while resorting to insults directed at European states.

"The madmen have been cured": assessment of the court's decision

Four-time Olympic biathlon champion Alexander Tikhonov told the propaganda agency RIA Novosti that the absence of the Russian team allegedly harmed the prestige of world hockey. According to him, the idea of holding competitions without Russian participation was absurd, but the situation has now been corrected.

«Це рішення давно назрівало. Грати в хокей без Росії придумали божевільні, але тепер їх вилікували. Не так багато країн вміють добре грати в хокей. Світовий хокей втрачав свій престиж через відсутність збірної Росії. Поки що зарано говорити про торжество справедливості. Справедливість буде відновлена, коли ми побачимо збірну Росії на чемпіонаті світу та Олімпіаді з прапором» (This decision was long overdue. The idea to play hockey without Russia was invented by madmen, but now they have been cured. Not many countries know how to play hockey well. World hockey was losing its prestige due to the absence of the Russian team. It is still too early to talk about the triumph of justice. Justice will be restored when we see the Russian team at the World Championship and the Olympics with a flag), Tikhonov emphasised.

Plyushch called European countries "disgusting"

Former Russian national team coach Vladimir Plyushch expressed the belief that European opponents would be uncomfortable competing against Russians. He stressed that despite the legal validity of the CAS decision, the integration process could be accompanied by difficulties.

«Перемога, в якій за ціною не постоїмо. Яким би не був допуск до міжнародних змагань, не думаю, що все мине гладко. Проте якщо CAS ухвалив рішення, це юридична норма, яка не підлягає оскарженню. Не знаю, що робитимуть усі ці мерзотні країни, які вдають із себе великі хокейні держави» (A victory at any cost. Whatever the admission to international competitions is, I do not think everything will go smoothly. However, if CAS has made a decision, it is a legal norm that cannot be appealed. I do not know what all these disgusting countries, who pretend to be great hockey states, will do), Plyushch stated in an interview with the Kremlin-controlled portal Championat.com.

Kozhevnikov compared opponents to "skunks"

Olympic hockey champion Alexander Kozhevnikov also criticised European hockey associations, predicting active resistance from their side regarding Russia's return to the international arena. He listed specific countries that, in his opinion, would create difficulties.

«Радісна новина, довго чекали. Але подивимося, що робитиме федерація, адже там буде опір, скунсів повно: шведи, чехи, фіни, естонці, латвійці — уся ця скунсова компанія. Від них багато залежатиме. У будь-якому разі там буде опір» (Good news, we waited a long time. But let's see what the federation will do, because there will be resistance, there are plenty of skunks: Swedes, Czechs, Finns, Estonians, Latvians — the whole skunk company. A lot will depend on them. In any case, there will be resistance), Kozhevnikov noted on Match TV, which supports Vladimir Putin's regime.