Russian hockey federation president Vladislav Tretiak is threatening to seek compensation from Canada and push for the relocation or cancellation of next month’s world junior championship in Alberta if Russia is barred from competing.
The warning comes after Ottawa confirmed Wednesday that Russian players would not be permitted to compete, even if they already hold valid Canadian visas, despite last month’s Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling ordering Russia’s reinstatement to international hockey.
Russia’s state news agency TASS reported Thursday that Tretiak told a presidential sports council meeting Russia would also seek compensation from Germany, host of the 2027 men’s world championship, if denied participation.
“There are rules: if a team does not take the ice, it receives a forfeit loss and sanctions are imposed,” Tretiak told TASS in comments translated from Russian.
“The IIHF has a way out — either allow us to participate or, if we cannot enter Canada, move the championship, not hold it at all or impose sanctions on Canada.”
Tretiak, a legendary Soviet goaltender and three-time Olympic gold medallist, also told TASS the Russian federation had asked the International Ice Hockey Federation’s ethics council to investigate and punish national federations organizing boycotts of games against Russia.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin told the same sports council meeting that national federations were refusing matches against Russian teams under pressure from their governments, according to TASS, which did not identify the countries involved.
Several hockey federations, including Finland, Sweden, Czechia and Norway, have said their teams will refuse to face Russia.
The dispute follows an Oct. 30 ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport ordering the IIHF to allow Russian teams to participate in five international tournaments, beginning with the world juniors in Edmonton and Red Deer on Dec. 26.
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Russia and Belarus have been banned from international hockey competition since Russia invaded Ukraine with Belarusian assistance in 2022.
Prime Minister Mark Carney said last week that Russian and Belarusian athletes would not be permitted to represent their countries in Canada as long as the war continues.
The federal government’s earlier position allowed individual athletes to compete as neutrals, raising questions about whether a Russian team could participate under a neutral designation.
Secretary of State for Sport Adam van Koeverden clarified Monday that the exemption applied only to individual athletes, not national teams.
In a statement Wednesday, van Koeverden said Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada would assess Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials individually to prevent them from competing at the men’s under-20 tournament in Alberta, even if they hold valid Canadian visas.
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Norway says it has been bumped by the IIHF to allow Russia to compete at world juniors in Canada
There are Russian players with valid visas competing in the Canadian Hockey League, the umbrella organization for the country’s three major junior hockey leagues.
Russian and Belarusian players were banned from the CHL’s import draft from 2022-24 before being allowed back in. According to the CHL, Russia led this year’s draft with 32 of the 114 players selected.
The controversy has also thrown Norway’s participation into question.
Norway’s hockey federation said Sunday the IIHF had informed it that Russia would be added to the world junior tournament at Norway’s expense.
Norway qualified for the championship and has said it still hopes to compete.
The IIHF has not formally announced any changes to the tournament field, and its website continues to list Norway among the 10 participating teams. The federation did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the possibility of cancelling or relocating the tournament.
The world junior championship will conclude on Jan. 5.
