Canada has announced that it will not allow Russian athletes to compete at the World Junior Championships, scheduled to take place in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta, next month. As a result, the Russian Ice Hockey Federation is insisting that the tournament be postponed or cancelled.
At a meeting in Moscow of the Council for Physical Culture and Sports Development under the President of the Russian Federation, participants decided to appeal to the Ethics Committee of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), demanding sanctions against national federations that boycott matches involving Russia.
Last month, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) issued a ruling reinstating Russia’s right to participate in international ice hockey competitions. Following the decision, several countries’ governments reaffirmed that they would not issue visas to Russian athletes.
The CAS ruling lifted the ban imposed on Russia by the IIHF following the launch of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
“So if you’re asking specifically about the world juniors, the Russians will not be there,” Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said during a press conference in Antigua on 3 November, according to Reuters.
