Canada will not allow Russian athletes to take part in a hockey tournament, Prime Minister Mark Carney said. According to him, the decision was made in view of Russia's war against Ukraine.
Carney stressed that Ottawa does not consider it possible for Russian representatives to compete in an international ice hockey tournament on Canadian territory while the full-scale invasion of Ukraine continues. He did not go into detailed procedural specifics, but confirmed the government's position on barring Russian teams and athletes.
The prime minister's statement was a response to a question about the participation of Russian players in competitions involving Canadian clubs and federations. Similar restrictions have been in place since 2022 for Russian and Belarusian athletes at many international competitions, and a number of international federations have limited their participation since the war began.
Canada's decision fits into a broader practice among Western countries of imposing sports sanctions against Russia. The International Olympic Committee and relevant federations have repeatedly discussed conditions for admitting Russian athletes under a neutral flag, but many states and sports organizations object to this approach.
As of publication, the detailed mechanisms for implementing the ban, including the list of tournaments and deadlines, were not specified in the reports. No additional comments from the Russian side or hockey federations regarding this decision were provided either.