37-year partnership ends: Major sponsor withdraws from world championship

Swedish furniture company AJ Products has withdrawn its sponsorship of the 2027 Men’s Ice Hockey World Championship.

TodayPress TV reports, citing Expressen, that the company’s CEO, David Bray, said the decision followed a ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) concerning the participation of Russia’s national teams in international competitions.

“Following CAS’s decision to allow Russia to compete, we decided that our brand and logo would no longer be used at the World Championship. This is a protest against Russia. We have to make many difficult decisions in business, but this is not one of them,” Bray said.

It should be noted that AJ Products had been among the main sponsors of the Ice Hockey World Championship since 1989.

As previously reported, on October 30, CAS ruled that the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) must allow Russian national teams to participate in competitions held under its auspices during the 2026/2027 season.

Namiq HUN