The Canadian government has informed Hockey Canada that it will not issue visas for Russians to play in the upcoming World Junior Championship.
The Russians who have current visas to play for teams in Canada are also ineligible, even under a neutral flag.
“The (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship) Minister will take measures to individually assess and prevent Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials from entering Canada to compete, regardless of whether they already hold valid visas,” Canada’s Secretary of State for Sport Adam Van Koeverden said Wednesday.
“These measures are not directed at the Russian and Belarusian people. Rather, they are intended to prevent the governments of Russia and Belarus from using international sporting events hosted in Canada as platforms for state representation, political legitimacy and propaganda. Canada’s consistent position also acknowledges that only individual athletes competing in a neutral capacity will continue to be able to participate in international sport events hosted by Canada.
“Canada’s position is unequivocal: as long as Russia continues its war of aggression against Ukraine, there can be no return to business as usual. Canada will continue to stand with Ukraine.”
Prime Minister Mark Carney said last week that Russian and Belarusian athletes could not compete in Canada representing their countries while the war continues. The government’s Nov. 3 statement, however, allowed individual athletes to compete as neutrals but did not clarify whether that provision could extend to a Russian team at the men’s under-20 tournament, which opens Dec. 26 in Edmonton and Red Deer.
However, Van Koeverden clarified Monday that the neutral athlete designation used for Russians at other events applied to individuals, not teams.
Van Koeverden’s comments come after Norway’s hockey federation said Sunday the IIHF had informed it that Russia would be added to the world juniors in Edmonton and Red Deer next month at Norway’s expense.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled last month that the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) must reinstate Russia in international hockey, after Russia and Belarus were barred from international hockey competition in 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Files from The Canadian Press were used in this report.