Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s music was approved as a replacement for the Russian anthem at the 2021 World Ice Hockey Championships. This was announced on Thursday, April 29, by the head of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Rene Fasel.
“We received a request from the Russian sports authorities to perform Tchaikovsky’s music before the matches of the national team. We agreed. Now Tchaikovsky will play before the start of the matches of the Russian team at different (men’s and women’s) world championships, ”Fasel said. His words are quoted by RIA Novosti.
On March 17, Fasel announced that the Russian national hockey team will compete at the World Championships in Riga under the flag with the logo of the Russian Olympic Committee instead of the national tricolor.
On March 15, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) upheld the decision to reject the ROC’s request to use the song “Katyusha” as an anthem at the awards ceremony for Russian athletes during the Olympic Games and World Championships during the period of sanctions against Russian sports. On April 22, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) approved the music of the composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky as a replacement for the Russian anthem at the Tokyo and Beijing Olympics
In December 2020, CAS decided that Russian athletes will not be able to compete under the country’s flag at major international competitions until December 16, 2022. Thus, CAS softened the sanctions of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) against Russian sports, cutting the sentence by half. In addition to the national flag, Russian athletes are prohibited from using the country’s anthem.