Canada has announced that it will prevent Russian athletes and officials from entering the country to participate in ice hockey’s World Junior Championship. The decision effectively bars the Russian team from competing in the event, which is scheduled to take place in Alberta.
Adam van Koeverden, the Secretary of State for Sport, confirmed the measures on Wednesday. He stated that the government opposes the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in international sport as long as Russia continues its war of aggression against Ukraine, which he noted is conducted with Belarus’s complicity.
The Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship will take steps to individually assess and stop Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials from entering Canada for the competition. This process will occur regardless of whether the individuals already possess valid visas.
Hockey Canada has expressed support for the government’s stance. The national governing body aligns with Ottawa’s decision to restrict entry, reinforcing the link between the ongoing conflict and the country’s sporting policies.
The announcement comes after the Court of Arbitration for Sport ordered the International Ice Hockey Federation to admit Russian teams to five upcoming championships. This mandate began with the World Junior Championship, which was decided late last month.
The International Ice Hockey Federation, which has kept Russia out of most international competitions since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, stated that it disagreed with the arbitration ruling. The federation’s position highlights the tension between legal orders and the governing body’s long-standing stance.
Following the arbitration decision, several European nations announced that their national teams would refuse to play against Russia at next year’s men’s World Championships in Germany. Norway, Denmark, Sweden, and the Czech Republic made these refusals public, with Latvia and Finland subsequently joining them.
Additionally, the Finnish city of Turku threatened to drop its hosting duties for the 2028 World Junior Championship in response to the situation. Meanwhile, Belarus’s team will not participate in the current championship following a separate decision by the hockey federation.
Prime Minister Mark Carney previously indicated that Ottawa would not permit Russian athletes to compete for their country on Canadian soil. Some observers interpreted this as leaving the door open for Russian participation as neutrals, although Van Koeverden clarified that Canada allows neutral status only for individual athletes, thereby ruling out the option for the full Russian team.
Van Koeverden emphasized that Canada’s position is unequivocal, stating that there can be no return to business as usual while the war continues. The minister added that the country will continue to stand with Ukraine. The World Junior Championship is set to run from December 26 to January 5.
