Canada to ban Russian and Belarusian hockey players from entering for 2027 U20 World Championship

Canadian government blocks participation of Russian and Belarusian national teams

The national teams from Russia and Belarus will not be granted permission to compete in the U20 World Championship, which will take place in Canada from 26 December 2026 to 5 January 2027. This was announced by the country's Prime Minister, Mark Carney, who emphasised that athletes from these states have no place on Canadian arenas while the war against Ukraine continues.

«Росіян там не буде» ("There will be no Russians there"), Carney stressed.

Justification of the government's decision

The head of the Canadian government characterised the conflict as an "illegal, unjustified and terrible war" waged by two countries against Ukraine. This is the primary reason for refusing to admit the national teams.

The government's position was supported by Hockey Canada. The tournament is scheduled to be held in Edmonton and Red Deer. As Canada is the host country, it controls the entry of foreign citizens. Accordingly, the decision on admitting athletes depends directly on the position of Canadian authorities regarding the issuance of relevant permits.

Context of international isolation of Russian sport

Russian hockey has been under conditions of international isolation for a long time. Despite Moscow's demands to return national teams to global tournaments and statements about the need to separate sport from politics, the participation of Russian athletes in international competitions remains limited.

The impact of Russia's war against Ukraine extends far beyond the political and diplomatic spheres, directly affecting the ability of Russian athletes to compete abroad. For Russian hockey, this means another absence from a major international tournament. Despite its ambitions and claims to the status of one of the leading hockey nations, the Russian national team will not have the opportunity to compete for medals at these games.