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Ice hockey-IIHF confirms Russia will miss World Juniors over Canada restrictions

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In short

Canadian sports secretary Adam van Koeverden announced that Canada will deny entry to Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials, even if they hold valid visas, citing the war in Ukraine. The IIHF evaluated alternative options before confirming Canada will remain the host country. The tournament will take place from December 26 to January 5 in Edmonton and Red Deer. A recent Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling ordering the readmission of Russian teams to five championships will not supersede these national border restrictions.

Key points

  • Canadian government entry restrictions will prevent Russia from participating in the 2027…: Canadian government entry restrictions will prevent Russia from participating in the 2027 World Junior Championship.
  • The IIHF evaluated other hosting options but chose to keep Canada as the tournament's hos…: The IIHF evaluated other hosting options but chose to keep Canada as the tournament's host nation.
  • Teams from Russia and Belarus have faced official IIHF event suspensions since the 2022 i…: Teams from Russia and Belarus have faced official IIHF event suspensions since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

Nov 15 : Russia will miss the 2027 World Junior Championship because of entry restrictions imposed by the Canadian government, the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) confirmed on Sunday.

The IIHF said it had considered alternative arrangements but decided Canada would remain as host, with the tournament proceeding from December 26 to January 5 in Edmonton and Red Deer.

Citing Russia's war in Ukraine, Canadian sports secretary Adam van Koeverden told Reuters on Wednesday that Canada would deny entry to Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials coming to compete, even those with valid visas.

The IIHF suspended teams from both countries in 2022 after Moscow launched its invasion from Russian and Belarusian territory, although last month’s Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling ordered the federation to readmit Russian teams to five championships.

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