Ice hockey: Canada denies Russian team visa for U20 World Cup

This means that entry into Canada would not be possible. This regulation also applies to players who already have valid visas, explained Sports State Secretary Adam van Koeverden in a statement available to the Reuters news agency and the US portal “The Athletic”.

“No return to normality”

"As long as Russia continues its war of aggression against Ukraine, there can be no return to normality," said the politician. Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney had previously announced that visas would be refused to the Russian team.

Russia was banned from international ice hockey competitions after the attack on Ukraine in early 2022. The measures are intended to prevent international sporting events taking place in Canada from being used "as a platform for state representation, political legitimacy and propaganda," as van Koeverden explained.

The Canadian government is opposing the decision of the International Court of Arbitration for Sport. The CAS had decided to allow Russian teams internationally again. The IIHF reluctantly included Russia's juniors in the field of participants instead of newly promoted Norway and changed the game plan accordingly. Afterwards, several teams announced that they would not play against Russia.

Boycott threats also for the World Cup in Germany

After the reintegration of Russia, a group of at least seven nations around the German Ice Hockey Federation (DEB) did not sign the new game plan for the U20 World Cup, as DEB CEO Frank Lutz said on Wednesday in the Bundestag's sports committee. The last time a Russian U20 team took part in a World Cup was in 2021, where they beat Germany 2-1 in the quarterfinals.