After Belarus' appeal, the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) decided to allow the Belarusian junior team (U-18) to return to the elite division of the World Championship, where Latvia will also compete next year. At the same time, the federation's disciplinary body initiated a review of Russia's participation in the competitions. **IIHF Council Member Viesturs Koziols** stated that the decision to reintegrate Belarus was made based on security assessments provided by the tournament organizers, and there could have been no other outcome. He emphasized that an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) would likely not yield results and would only incur additional costs. Koziols also noted that Russia and Belarus use "huge lobbying" in international federations, attracting states and partners to promote decisions favorable to them. "Behind the scenes, discussions are taking place, demands are being made — let’s reinstate them. This is the main reason," Koziols said. Commenting on accusations of Latvia's insufficiently active actions, he added: > "We could at least bang our shoes on the table." **President of the Latvian Hockey Federation (LHF) Aigars Kalvitis** stated that representatives of Latvia conveyed their position to the IIHF leadership, but could not influence the final decision. "If the majority holds one position, that is the principle of democracy," Kalvitis said. **LHF Secretary General Roberts Plavejs** reported that the Latvian teams plan to participate in tournaments where teams from Russia and Belarus compete, but will not play against them. This is prohibited by a law passed by the Saeima. As a result, Latvia faces technical losses, financial losses, and a decrease in the team's ranking in tournaments. **Latvia's Ministry of Education and Science** reminded that state budget funds cannot be used to participate in competitions where athletes from Russia and Belarus compete. Therefore, sports federations will have to independently decide whether to participate in such tournaments using other funding sources. As [reported](https://bb.lv/statja/politika/2026/06/05/boikot-rossii-i-belarusi-dorogo-obxoditsia-sportsmenam-latvii-poetomu-dlia-nix-vypustili-metodiceskie-ukazaniia) by bb.lv, the **Latvian Olympic Committee** has developed recommendations stating that passive self-isolation or boycott may play into the hands of aggressor states. Therefore, underage athletes may be allowed to compete against Russians and Belarusians. In unofficial conversations, **sports sector representatives** admitted that what is happening demonstrates the limited ability of European countries to develop a unified position on the issue of the return of representatives from Russia and Belarus to international sports.