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Prime Minister Mark Carney says Russian hockey players won’t be issued visas for next month’s World Juniors in Alberta
Published Nov 08, 2026 • 3 minute read
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The International Ice Hockey Federation may have informed Norway’s national federation that their team is being removed from the World Juniors tournament, set to take place next month in Alberta — and replaced by Russia — but that does not change the Canadian government’s stance on the matter.
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The Norwegian Ice Hockey Association announced Sunday that they have been removed from the tournament, to be replaced by Russia.
The understanding from everyone is that the International Ice Hockey Federation is constrained by a ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport earlier this month, which stated that the IIHF’s ban on Russia since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine was unfounded: the Russians were banned due to security concerns, not the invasion itself, the IIHF had originally argued. However, the court determined that the IIHF’s decision was not based on fact and ruled that the international body must do everything possible to restore Russia’s teams to competition.
Regardless of the ruling, the Canadian government remains firm in its position that Russian athletes are not welcome in Canada.
Last Tuesday, Prime Minister Mark Carney stated that “the Russians won’t be there,” in response to a question about the upcoming World Juniors. Canada will not grant visas for Russian or Belarusian athletes as long as they are involved in the war in Ukraine, he said.
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The Prime Minister’s Office said Sunday that nothing has changed, even if the IIHF is moving to alter the nations invited to compete next month.
“As the Prime Minister said, athletes from Russia and Belarus will not be able to compete for their countries in Canada so long as the unjustified war against Ukraine continues. That position has not changed,” spokesperson Audrey Champagne responded via email.
Norway qualified for the World Juniors by winning division 1A last winter; this year’s division 1A tournament begins in Budapest on Dec. 6, so even switching the Norwegians down to the lower division at this stage is a logistical nightmare, let alone a major ethical issue.
Hockey Canada spokesperson Spencer Sharkey said the national association is fully behind Carney.
“Hockey Canada does not have anything to add beyond our statement regarding our Government’s position,” he said.
Hockey Canada’s statement, which followed initial cautious responses after the CAS ruling, was quite firm.
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“Hockey Canada thanks the Government of Canada for today’s strong position that Canada intends to prevent Russian and Belarusian officials and athletes from participating under their national symbols in international sporting events taking place on Canadian soil,” the association said last Tuesday. The Hockey Canada board was expected to meet recently to discuss further steps, though what, if any, measures might be taken is currently unclear.
In a statement released Sunday, the Norwegians said they were informed of the IIHF’s decision to replace the 10th-ranked Norway with Russia for the 10-team World Juniors. As hard as the news was for Norway, NIHA secretary-general Petter Salsten maintained a somewhat conciliatory tone.
“We are aware of the status and the measures the IIHF feels compelled to take, and we will await further information from the IIHF in the coming days,” Salsten said in a statement released by the NIHA and translated from Norwegian by Google Translate. “We have previously made it clear where we stand on the issue of Russia’s participation, where we believe they should not be able to participate internationally as long as the war in Ukraine continues. This also clearly shows all the practical challenges and immediate consequences for everyone involved when countries are to be reinstated immediately.”
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Earlier this week Norway joined Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Czechia and Latvia in saying they will boycott playing Russia in world championship games.
“The authorities in Canada have made it clear that Russian players will not be granted visas to participate in the Junior World Championships,” Salsten continued. “In addition, several of the participating countries have said that they will not participate, or face Russia, if they are matched with them in the championship. This makes us hope that the final word on our participation in Canada in December has not been spoken.”
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