Canada keeps ban on Russian, Belarusian athletes at World Junior Hockey Championship – PM Carney

Prime Minister Mark Carney announced Wednesday night that Canada is maintaining a complete ban on athletes from Russia and Belarus competing under their national flags on Canadian territory. This restriction includes the upcoming World Junior Ice Hockey Championship in Alberta and will remain in place for the duration of the armed aggression against Ukraine.

According to the Kyiv Independent, the Canadian government intends to use its authority under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act to prevent these athletes and officials from entering the country. This decision follows an October 30 ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport that overturned Russia's exclusion from international hockey.

While the International Ice Hockey Federation expressed disappointment with the ruling, the Kyiv Independent reports that the CAS decision does not supersede Canada's immigration laws.

Athletes competing as neutrals may still be admitted on an individual basis. Interfax-Ukraine reports that the ban covers the entry and performance of these athletes for the entire duration of the war.

Brief written by urgent.news from Interfax-Ukraine, Kyiv Independent — 2 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.