The Canadian government has informed Hockey Canada and the IIHF that it will not issue visas for Russians to play in the upcoming World Junior Championship, TSN’s Gord Miller reports. The Russians who have current visas to play for teams in Canada are also ineligible, even under a neutral flag, per Miller. 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, Canada’s Secretary of State for Sport Adam 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. “This is a really quickly evolving situation with Norway,” van Koeverden said from a sports summit in Ottawa. “I’ve had conversations with ministers of sport from Finland, from Sweden, and from Norway and from Germany. Hoping to meet with the minister from Czechia this week as well as others to discuss this quickly evolving situation. “The Prime Minister was extremely clear that sport will not be used for propaganda on Canadian soil, and the notion that there, you know, might be accommodations is one that the Prime Minister was extraordinarily clear about. “So we’ll continue to move forward working with Hockey Canada. And, you note that the IIHF, their previous position was aligned with Canada’s, and we want to continue to ensure that great Canadian hockey, great international hockey is seen here on Canadian soil.” 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. More details to follow. Files from The Canadian Press were used in this report.
