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PM Carney says Russian hockey players will not be allowed to compete at World Juniors
Carney said Russian and Belarusian teams will stay out as 4 European federations vowed not to play them.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced Russia and Belarusian athletes are barred from next month's world junior hockey championship in Alberta while the war in Ukraine continues.
The announcement follows a Friday ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport ordering Russia's reinstatement to international hockey competition, starting with the world junior tournament.
Several European hockey federations, including Sweden, Finland, Czechia, and Latvia, have declared their teams will refuse to face Russia in the tournament.
Hockey Canada is currently consulting with the International Ice Hockey Federation and other stakeholders about the tournament's potential operational impacts following the directive.
The IIHF World Junior Championship is scheduled to begin December 26 in Edmonton and Red Deer, though uncertainty remains over final participation following the government's decision.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney stated that he would not allow Russian athletes to compete for his team at the Youth World Hockey Championship in Alberta in December. "As long as Russia and Belarus support [conflict] in Ukraine, <...> none of these athletes will compete for their countries in Canada," cites the words of Carney The New York Times. "So if you ask specifically about the Junior World Championship, there will be no Russians there…