Norway hopes to retain its place at the IIHF World Junior Championship despite the decision to replace its national team with a Russian team.
The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) has informed the Norwegians that, in accordance with the decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), Russia will take their place in the elite division. Norway, as the lowest ranked team, should be relegated to League 1A.
However, the general secretary of the Norwegian Hockey Federation, Petar Selsten, expressed hope that the final decision on his country's participation in the championship could still change. He recalled that Canada refused to issue visas to Russian players, and seven European countries decided to boycott games with the Russian national team.
The Swiss Hockey Federation has already announced that its team will not participate in the match scheduled for December 27 with Russia, which will be held instead of Norway in the updated schedule.
On October 30, CAS required the IIHF to admit Russian teams to international tournaments for the 2026/27 season. The World Junior Championships will be held from December 26 to January 5 in Edmonton and Red Air, Canada.
Read about how countries prevent Russia from returning to world hockey in Izvestia's article.