IIHF bars Russia from 2027 World Junior Championship in Canada

Russia will not participate in the 2027 World Junior Championships in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alta., the International Ice Hockey Federation announced on Sunday.

IIHF announcement

The IIHF said in a release that Russia is unable to participate “due to the position and restrictions formally communicated by the Canadian Government.”

“The IIHF confirms that due to the position and restrictions formally communicated by the Canadian Government, the Russian U20 national team is unable to participate in the World Junior Championship,” the release read.

“After carefully assessing the feasibility of alternative arrangements, the IIHF Council has determined that Canada will remain as host and the tournament will proceed from 26 December 2026 to 5 January 2027 in Edmonton and Red Deer.”

All participating MNAs have been informed and an updated competition schedule will be posted shortly for both the World Junior Championship and World Championship U20 1A.

Canadian government position

The announcement follows a Canadian government statement on Thursday informing the IIHF that it would not issue visas for Russian athletes to participate in the tournament.

“The (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship) Minister will take measures to individually assess and prevent Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials from entering Canada to compete, regardless of whether they already hold valid visas,” Canada’s Secretary of State for Sport Adam Van Koeverden said Wednesday.

Van Koeverden said the measures are not directed at the Russian and Belarusian people but are intended to prevent the governments of Russia and Belarus from using international sporting events hosted in Canada as platforms for state representation, political legitimacy and propaganda.

“Canada’s position is unequivocal: as long as Russia continues its war of aggression against Ukraine, there can be no return to business as usual. Canada will continue to stand with Ukraine.”

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said last week that Russian and Belarusian athletes could not compete in Canada representing their countries while the war continues. Van Koeverden clarified Monday that the neutral athlete designation used for Russians at other events applied to individuals, not teams.

Russian response

The president of the Russian Ice Hockey Federation, Vladislav Tretiak, threatened to demand compensation from Canada and possibly also from Germany if Russia is barred from participation, according to TASS.

Tretiak said he had also appealed to the IIHF’s ethics committee to open an investigation and impose sanctions on national federations that are organising boycotts of games involving Russia.

“There are rules: if a team does not take to the ice, it suffers a technical defeat and sanctions are imposed,” TASS quoted Tretiak as saying. “The IIHF has a way out - either they let us play, or, if we are unable to enter Canada, they move the championship, do not stage it at all, or impose sanctions on the Canadian ice hockey association.”

Canada adopted this stance in response to a ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport last month that restored Russia’s right to take part in international ice hockey competitions. That decision overturned the ban the IIHF had imposed on Russia after the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Why it matters

• Russia is barred from the 2027 World Junior Championship in Edmonton and Red Deer because Canada will not issue visas for Russian athletes.
• The tournament will proceed as scheduled from 26 December 2026 to 5 January 2027 with Canada as host.
• The Russian Ice Hockey Federation president has threatened to demand compensation and called for IIHF sanctions against federations boycotting Russia.
• A Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling last month overturned the IIHF’s 2022 ban on Russia and Belarus.

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Sources

• tsn.ca: IIHF announces Russia has been barred from participation in 2027 World Juniors in Edmonton
• newswav.com: Russia urges IIHF to move Canada world juniors as hockey boycotts spread - Newswav

This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.