Updated

Canada will not let Russia's national junior hockey team compete at the World Junior Championship in Edmonton and Red Deer, despite a Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling ordering Russia's return to international hockey, Meduza reported. The Canadian government formally told the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) on November 11 that it would not issue visas to Russian players, and said Russian players based in North America could not represent the national team on work visas. Unlike the IIHF, national governments are not bound by CAS rulings. The CAS ruled in late October that there were no longer grounds to bar Russia from international tournaments, a ban imposed after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The IIHF criticized the ruling but said it would comply, and in early November dropped Norway, the lowest-ranked team, to make room for Russia. Many federations and some major sponsors opposed Russia's admission, and some sponsors threatened to end contracts with the IIHF. Meduza reported that Russia's chances of playing now appear very slim, and that the Russian Ice Hockey Federation had planned a roster of North American-based players before the visa refusal. The Hockey News predicted the IIHF would proceed without Russia, while Sports.ru said the IIHF could in principle penalize or strip Canada of hosting rights for failing to facilitate visas. The dispute is part of wider sporting restrictions on Russia over the war in Ukraine, and Czechia has also said it will not admit the Russian team for a January women's tournament.