Finland's national ice hockey team will refuse to play against Russia while its war against Ukraine continues, Finnish Ice Hockey Association chairman Heikki Hietanen said Monday.

Hietanen told Yle Urheilu, the sports division of Finland’s public broadcaster Yle, that the association would do everything possible to prevent Russia from participating in international tournaments following a recent ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

"We have aligned our own position so that Finland will not play against Russia," Hietanen said in a statement issued by the association.

"Our line is that we will not play against Russia as long as the war of aggression against Ukraine continues," he added.

The CAS ruled Friday that the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) must allow Russia to return to international competition immediately.

Hietanen said Finland had sought to establish a common position with other Nordic countries and major hockey nations in Central Europe, with the aim of persuading as many countries as possible to join the stance.

"Of course, it will be impossible to organize the games if so many countries boycott by not playing against Russia," he said.

Hietanen did not identify the countries involved, saying their hockey associations were still discussing the issue internally and would announce their positions independently.

Finland's sports minister, Mika Poutala, welcomed the country’s position, saying he believed Russia would not participate in the world championship in Germany next spring.

Emma Terho, a member of the Executive Board of the European Olympic Committees (EOC), who appeared alongside Poutala on Finnish broadcaster Yle's A-Studio program, also described the Finnish position as firm and called for other countries to join the effort.

Following the CAS ruling, Hietanen had initially said the decision appeared incomprehensible but that Finland would not boycott the world championship and would comply with decisions by the international sports court and the IIHF.

According to the Finnish newspaper Ilta-Sanomat, Hietanen's initial comments sparked concern within the Finnish Ice Hockey Association because its board had not yet decided how Finland would respond if Russia were allowed to compete. (AA)