The pressure on the International Ice Hockey Federation grew Wednesday as two major sponsors of the men's world championship said they would review their involvement if Russia takes part.

The tournament's main sponsor, automaker Skoda, says it will "reassess" its involvement if Russia plays, and another longtime backer, Strauss, says it would refuse to have its logo shown.

A Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling last week obliged the IIHF to lift its exclusion of Russian national teams, which had been in place since 2022 over the war in Ukraine.