Canada bars Russian and Belarusian players from World Junior Championship despite visas

Canada announced that Russian and Belarusian hockey players will be barred from entering the country to compete in next month’s World Junior Championship in Alberta, regardless of existing visas. The decision was outlined in a statement from Secretary of State for Sport Adam van Koeverden, who said Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada will assess each case individually to prevent the athletes and officials from participating.

The move follows a period during which Russians and Belarusians were excluded from the Canadian Hockey League’s import draft between 2022 and 2024, before being readmitted. The CHL reported that Russian players comprised 32 of the 114 selections in this year’s draft.

Van Koeverden clarified that the government’s earlier policy allowing athletes to compete as neutrals applied only to individuals, not to whole teams, and that the stance will remain unchanged while Russia’s war in Ukraine continues with Belarus’s involvement.

The decision arrives after a Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling required the International Ice Hockey Federation to reinstate Russia in international competition, a step that Norway’s federation indicated would come at its own expense. Several national federations, including Finland, Sweden, Czechia and Norway, have said they would not face Russian players.

Prime Minister Mark Carney reiterated that Russian and Belarusian athletes could not represent their countries in Canada while the conflict persists. The tournament is scheduled to begin on Dec. 26 in Edmonton and Red Deer.