Canada blocks Russian hockey entry before World Junior Championship
Ottawa will individually assess visas for Russian and Belarusian athletes, overriding a recent Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling that required their admission.
By Julia Wang ·
The Canadian government will prevent Russian and Belarusian ice hockey players and officials from entering the country for the upcoming World Junior Championship in Alberta. This decision effectively bars the Russian national team from competing, weeks before the tournament begins.
Canada’s Secretary of State for Sport, Adam van Koeverden, announced the move on Wednesday. He stated that Ottawa opposes the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in international sport while Russia continues its war in Ukraine. Van Koeverden noted that the immigration minister will take measures to individually assess and block entry for these individuals, regardless of whether they already hold valid visas.
The government action follows a late October ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. That body ordered the International Ice Hockey Federation to admit Russian teams to five upcoming championships, starting with the World Junior event. The IIHF, which has excluded Russia from most competitions since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, publicly disagreed with the CAS decision.
Hockey Canada previously signaled its support for the government’s stance. Prime Minister Mark Carney had earlier stated that Ottawa would not permit Russian athletes to compete for their country on Canadian soil. Some observers interpreted that statement as allowing participation under a neutral flag. Van Koeverden clarified that Canada only permits individual neutral athletes, ruling out the option for the full Russian team.
The decision aligns Canada with other European nations. Norway, Denmark, Sweden, and the Czech Republic have announced their national teams will refuse to play Russia at next year’s men’s World Championships in Germany. Latvia and Finland have made similar declarations for their teams. Additionally, the Finnish city of Turku threatened to drop its hosting duties for the 2028 World Junior Championship.
Belarus will not send a team to the tournament following a separate IIHF decision. The World Junior Championship is scheduled to run from December 26 to January 5.
Van Koeverden described Canada’s position as unequivocal. "As long as Russia continues its war of aggression against Ukraine, there can be no return to business as usual," he said. "Canada will continue to stand with Ukraine."
