Canada to Bar Russian Players From World Juniors

Canada will prevent Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials from entering the country to compete in the World Junior Championship, including those who already hold valid visas, Secretary of State for Sport Adam van Koeverden said. The tournament is scheduled to begin December 26 in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta.

Van Koeverden said immigration officials would individually assess athletes and officials and bar them from entering for the competition. The government’s position applies to team representation: it says its policy allowing neutral participation is limited to individual athletes, not a Russian team.

The announcement comes as the tournament’s lineup remains unresolved. Norway’s hockey federation said the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) informed it that Norway would be removed to make room for Russia. Norway qualified for the championship and has said it still hopes to participate.

The IIHF has not formally announced a change to the field. Its tournament website continued to list Norway among the 10 teams. The final lineup therefore remains unsettled, despite the federation’s reported notice to Norway and Canada’s position on entry.