Russian Hockey Federation Says It Will Seek Compensation if Banned from World Juniors in Alberta

The Russian Hockey Federation announced it will seek financial compensation from Canada if the country's team is excluded from the World Junior Championship scheduled to begin Dec. 26 in Edmonton and Red Deer. The statement was made by federation president Vladislav Tretiak during a meeting of a presidential sports council, according to the state news agency TASS.

Canada said on Wednesday that Russian players, even those holding valid Canadian visas, will not be allowed to compete, despite a recent Court of Arbitration for Sport decision that ordered Russia’s reinstatement to international hockey. The decision follows a ban imposed after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Tretiak said the federation will also request compensation from Germany, the host of the 2027 men’s world championship, and warned it could push for the tournament to be moved and seek sanctions against organizers. He added that the federation has asked the International Ice Hockey Federation’s ethics council to investigate national federations that boycott games involving Russia.

President Vladimir Putin, speaking at the same council meeting, reportedly said some national federations are refusing matches against Russian teams under pressure from their governments. Several federations, including those of Finland, Sweden, Czechia and Norway, have indicated they will not play against Russia.

The International Ice Hockey Federation banned Russia and Belarus from international tournaments on Feb. 28, 2022, after the invasion of Ukraine and Belarus’s support of the action.