Canada has banned hockey players from Russia and Belarus from participating in the World Youth Championship, media Prime Minister Mark Carney said Russian athletes will not be able to compete in the World Youth Championship in December because of the war in Ukraine. The World Junior Championships are set to begin on December 26 in Alberta. “As long as Russia and Belarus support this illegal, unjustified and horrible war in Ukraine, none of these athletes will compete for their countries in Canada. If you're asking specifically about the World Youth Championship, then the Russians won't be there," Carney told reporters. The prime minister's remarks came after several national ice hockey associations said they would not play Russian teams following a decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to allow Russians to compete in IIHF competitions. The IIHF's ban on Russian teams from participating in competitions took effect after Moscow launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and is renewed annually. After several appeals by the Russian Hockey Federation, the Court of Arbitration for Sport overturned the ban last Friday, saying safety concerns were "not supported by sufficient evidence." On Monday, the Finnish Hockey Association called on other countries to oppose the decision. The hockey federations of five European countries announced their refusal to play with the Russian national team at the World Championship in Germany in May 2027. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrey Sibiga thanked them on Tuesday for their "refusal to share ice with Russia." Russia's ambassador to Canada responded to Carney's decision. According to Oleg Stepanov, "By suspending Russian and Belarusian hockey players, Ottawa is getting rid of serious rivals even before the start of the game. The people of Canada are in favor of the return of the Russian national team to the ice, they see the championships as boring without the Russian Federation," the ambassador said in response to TASs.

Canada has banned hockey players from Russia and Belarus from participating in the World Youth Championship, media Prime Minister Mark Carney said Russian athletes will not be able to compete in the World Youth Championship in December because of the war in Ukraine. The World Junior Championships are set to begin on December 26 in Alberta. “As long as Russia and Belarus support this illegal, unjustified and horrible war in Ukraine, none of these athletes will compete for their countries in Canada. If you're asking specifically about the World Youth Championship, then the Russians won't be there," Carney told reporters. The prime minister's remarks came after several national ice hockey associations said they would not play Russian teams following a decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to allow Russians to compete in IIHF competitions. The IIHF's ban on Russian teams from participating in competitions took effect after Moscow launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and is renewed annually. After several appeals by the Russian Hockey Federation, the Court of Arbitration for Sport overturned the ban last Friday, saying safety concerns were "not supported by sufficient evidence." On Monday, the Finnish Hockey Association called on other countries to oppose the decision. The hockey federations of five European countries announced their refusal to play with the Russian national team at the World Championship in Germany in May 2027. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrey Sibiga thanked them on Tuesday for their "refusal to share ice with Russia." Russia's ambassador to Canada responded to Carney's decision. According to Oleg Stepanov, "By suspending Russian and Belarusian hockey players, Ottawa is getting rid of serious rivals even before the start of the game. The people of Canada are in favor of the return of the Russian national team to the ice, they see the championships as boring without the Russian Federation," the ambassador said in response to TASs.