The Canadian authorities have announced that they will not issue visas to Russians to participate in the World Hockey Championship.

The Canadian authorities have announced that they will not issue visas to Russians to participate in the World Hockey Championship.

The Canadian government has officially informed the Canadian Hockey Federation and the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) that it will not issue visas to Russians to participate in the 2027 World Junior Championship, TSN writes.

The ban on participation in competitions also applies to those hockey players from Russia who already have valid visas - they will not be able to compete under a neutral flag.

Canada's Minister of State for Sport Adam van Couberden said the neutral athlete status applied to Russians in other international competitions only applies to individual athletes, not entire teams.

Previously, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ordered the IIHF to admit Russian teams to five international tournaments, including the World Championships. The federation agreed to abide by the decision, but said it still considers the participation of Russian national teams a security threat.

Germany is considering the possibility of holding the World Hockey Championship without Russia, despite the CAS decision.

Podfishis.