Foto: BB.LV / хоккей
The Russian national hockey team will not be able to compete in the upcoming World Junior Championship in Canada, despite the decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to reinstate Russian teams in international tournaments. This was stated by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, as reported by LETA, citing the Associated Press. According to the head of the Canadian government, the country's position regarding the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes remains unchanged amid the ongoing war in Ukraine. ### "Russians will not participate in the championship" Carney emphasized that Canada does not intend to allow the participation of Russian and Belarusian teams on its territory while the war continues. > "As long as Russia and Belarus support this illegal, unjustified, and terrible war in Ukraine, while it continues, none of these athletes will represent their countries in Canada. Therefore, if you are asking specifically about the World Junior Championship, the Russians will not participate," the Prime Minister stated. The World Junior Championship for players under 20 is scheduled to take place from December 26 to January 5. It was previously reported that Canadian authorities might deny Russian hockey players visas, thereby preventing them from coming to the tournament. Now the Prime Minister has publicly confirmed that the Russian national team will not be allowed to participate in the championship. ### What did the Court of Arbitration for Sport decide? On Friday, the CAS ruled that the International Ice Hockey Federation must immediately reinstate the participation of Russian national teams in international competitions. According to the published information, the decision applies to several tournaments of the current season: - Men's World Championship. - World Junior Championship for players under 20. - World Championship for players under 18. - Women's World Championship. Thus, the court's decision provides for the return of Russian teams to the international arena; however, its practical implementation faces opposition from certain states and national hockey federations. ### Latvia and five other countries refuse to play against Russia Six European countries have already opposed holding matches with Russian teams in the upcoming international tournaments. Among them are Latvia, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and the Czech Republic. All these states have stated that they do not intend to hold matches with Russian teams. This position creates additional difficulties for the International Ice Hockey Federation, which will have to determine the procedure for conducting tournaments in light of the CAS decision and the statements of national federations. ### Germany may refuse to host the World Championship Uncertainty has also arisen regarding the men's World Championship. The tournament is scheduled for May 14–30 in the German cities of Düsseldorf and Mannheim. However, it was previously reported that Germany does not rule out the possibility of refusing to host the World Championship due to the situation surrounding the return of Russian hockey players. The Latvian national team also competes in the top division of the World Championship, so further decisions by the IIHF will directly affect the Latvian national team. ### Russia has missed five World Championships and the Olympics Russian hockey teams were suspended from competitions under the auspices of the IIHF in February 2022 after the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Since then, Russian teams have missed five World Championships, as well as the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo. The CAS decision became the basis for reviewing their participation in international tournaments; however, the statements from Canada and European federations show that the issue of the actual return of Russian teams remains open.
