Russian hockey players will be barred from competing at next month’s world junior championship in Alberta, even if they already have valid Canadian visas, the federal government says.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada will take steps to assess Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials individually and prevent them from entering Canada to compete, according to a Nov. 11 statement from Secretary of State for Sport Adam van Koeverden.
“These measures are not directed at the Russian and Belarusian people,” the statement said. “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.”
The statement follows comments from Prime Minister Mark Carney last week that Russian and Belarusian athletes would not be allowed to compete in Canada while representing their countries as long as the war continues.
The government’s prior stance permitted individual athletes to compete as neutrals, without clarifying whether a Russian team could participate under the same status.
Van Koeverden clarified earlier this week, however, that the neutral designation applies only to individual athletes, not to teams. The government said its stance would not change as long as Russia’s war in Ukraine continues with Belarus’s support.
“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,” the statement said.
Bans and Visas
There are currently Russians with valid visas playing in the Canadian Hockey League, the governing body for Canada’s three leading major junior hockey leagues.
The Canadian Hockey League (CHL) banned Russian and Belarusian players from its Import Draft starting in April 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Belarus is an ally of Russia. For the 2022 and 2023 drafts, teams were prohibited from selecting new players from Russia or Belarus, though players already on CHL protected lists or previously drafted were permitted to continue playing.
The CHL lifted the ban ahead of the draft cycle in April 2024, allowing Russian and Belarusian players to be selected again and Russia topped this year’s draft.
“Russia led all nations with a record 32 players selected, surpassing its previous high of 28 set just last year in 2025,” the junior ice hockey league said in a post this summer.
While the CHL permits these players in its domestic leagues, holding a visa to play in the CHL does not grant eligibility for the international tournament.
And Van Koeverden’s statement seems to rule out Russia’s return to the world juniors despite last month’s Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling that the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) must reinstate the country in international hockey.
The IIHF expressed its “disappointment with the decision” in an Oct. 30 press release, adding that the ruling would force it to make “changes to participation.”
The IIHF subsequently informed Norway that it would be bumped from the upcoming World Junior Hockey Championship in Alberta to make room for Russia, following the court ruling.
The Norwegian Ice Hockey Association said in a statement that the IIHF informed them Norway—as the 10th-ranked team—would lose its spot and be relegated to Division 1A to accommodate Russia.
Norway has said it still hopes to compete, however, citing Canada’s visa decision. Also, the IIHF has yet to officially announce any changes to the tournament lineup. Norway remains listed on its website as one of the 10 participating teams.
Hockey federations from Finland, Sweden, Czechia, Norway, and other nations have said their teams will refuse to compete against Russian players.
The world junior championship begins Dec. 26 in Edmonton and Red Deer.
The Canadian Press contributed to this report.
