Politics1 min read

Canada will not let Russians compete at ice hockey tournament, says Carney

By · Published by Everything Blog

In short

Prime Minister Mark Carney announced from Antigua that athletes representing Russia and Belarus will be excluded from the world junior ice hockey championships running from late December to early January in Alberta. The move follows Canada's formal condemnation of a Court of Arbitration for Sport decision from last week that permitted Russian participation in international events. European allies are aligning on similar restrictions, with several national federations announcing they will boycott matchups against Russia at the upcoming men's tournament in Germany.

Key points

  • Canada has officially banned Russian and Belarusian athletes from its upcoming home tourn…: Canada has officially banned Russian and Belarusian athletes from its upcoming home tournament due to the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
  • Canadian leadership strongly rejected the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling that perm…: Canadian leadership strongly rejected the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling that permitted Russian skaters to compete internationally.
  • Multiple European hockey federations are joining the resistance by organizing direct boyc…: Multiple European hockey federations are joining the resistance by organizing direct boycotts against prospective matches with Russia next year.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

Nov 3 : Canada will not let skaters from Russia or Belarus take part in the world junior ice hockey championships that are due to start next month in the province of Alberta, Prime Minister Mark Carney told reporters on Tuesday.

Canada, a major international backer of Ukraine in its war with Russia, has already condemned a decision last week by the Court of Arbitration for Sport to allow Russians to compete in International Ice Hockey Federation events.

The world junior championships are due to run from late December to early January.

"While Russia and Belarus are supporting this illegal, unjustified, horrific war in Ukraine, as long as that's going on, there will be none of those athletes competing for their countries in Canada," he said.

"So, if you're asking specifically about the world juniors, the Russians will not be there," he told a televised press conference at the end of a summit in Antigua.

Earlier on Tuesday, national ice hockey federations in Norway, Denmark, Sweden and the Czech Republic said they would refuse to play Russia at next year's…

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