Canadian government says Russian players with visas will still be barred from WJC

The Canadian government has announced that Russian hockey players will be barred from competing in the upcoming World Juniors championship in Alberta, even if they possess valid Canadian visas. This decision, made by Secretary of State for Sport Adam van Koeverden, is based on the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada's commitment to assess and prevent the entry of Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials into the country to participate in the event.

It is important to note that there are currently Russians with valid visas playing in the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), the governing body for the country's top three major junior hockey leagues. The CHL had previously imposed an import draft ban on Russians from 2022-24, which was later lifted.

The announcement comes in the wake of a Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruling that required the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) to reinstate Russia in international hockey following last month's ruling. Norway's hockey federation was informed by the IIHF on Sunday that Russia would be allowed to join the tournament at Norway's expense, despite Norway qualifying for the event and maintaining its intent to compete.

Several hockey federations, including those from Finland, Sweden, Czechia, and Norway, have stated that their teams will refuse to play against Russian players. Russia and Belarus have been subjected to an international hockey ban since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 with the support of Belarus. Prime Minister Mark Carney had previously stated that Russian and Belarusian athletes would not be allowed to compete in Canada while representing their nations as long as the war persists.

The government had initially permitted individual athletes to compete as neutrals, leaving the question of whether a Russian team could participate under a neutral designation open. However, van Koeverden clarified that the neutral designation applied exclusively to individual athletes and not teams.

The World Juniors championship, scheduled to take place from December 26 in Edmonton and Red Deer, is set to commence.