Canada will not allow Russian or Belarusian players to compete in the World Junior Ice Hockey Championship, Prime Minister Mark Carney told reporters on Tuesday. The tournament is scheduled to begin next month in Alberta and run from late December into early January.
Carney said athletes from the two countries would not represent them in Canada for as long as Russia and Belarus support the War in Ukraine. He later confirmed that Russian players would not take part in the junior championship.
The announcement follows Canada’s criticism of a decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport last week that cleared Russian athletes to compete in events organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation.
Separately, the national ice hockey federations of Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Czechia said on Tuesday they would refuse to play Russia at next year’s men’s World Championship in Germany.
Sources: CNN Brasil.