Russia will not compete at world junior hockey championship in Alberta, IIHF says

Detailed summary

The International Ice Hockey Federation has confirmed that Russia will not compete at the 2027 world junior hockey championship in Alberta due to restrictions imposed by the…

The International Ice Hockey Federation confirms in a statement that Russia will not have a team at the world junior hockey championship next month in Alberta.

The IIHF says Russia will not be able to play at the tournament starting Dec. 26 in Edmonton and Red Deer, despite a mandate for the country's reinstatement from the Court of Arbitration for Sport, due to restrictions put in place by the federal government.

The organization says Canada will remain as host despite going against the CAS's ruling.

Russia and Belarus have been banned from competing in international hockey tournaments since 2022 following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The CAS mandated Russia's reinstatement in an Oct. 30 ruling, but days later Prime Minister Mark Carney said Russians and Belarusians would be barred from competing regardless of that decision.

The impasse left the tournament in limbo, with Norway's federation saying it would be bumped from the competition in favour of a Russian team, while hockey officials from Russia suggested the tournament should be moved elsewhere.

The CAS's decision was met with immediate pushback, with hockey federations from Sweden, Finland, Czechia and other nations refusing to play against a reinstated Russian team.

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