A federation's ruling, a small nation's sense of being quietly erased, and a host country's reluctant weighing of principle against hospitality all converge on a single question: whether sport can keep its doors open when the wider world has closed its own. Norway says it has been told it no longer has a place at the Canadian tournament, but the governing body has not yet said so in public, leaving a gap between what is whispered and what is written. Behind every statement lies the long shadow of the war in Ukraine, which has turned an athletic calendar into a question of conscience and diplom
Norway Says It Was Dropped From World Juniors to Make Way for Russia; Hosts Weigh Options
Nobody can say who the tenth team will be.
Mark
Why does Norway's claim matter so much if the IIHF hasn't confirmed it?
Mimi
Because the tournament starts December 26 and the field is still officially unsettled. Norway's account is the only description of what the federation has actually told a member.
Luke
Right, and that's worth stating plainly: it's Norway's account. The IIHF website still lists Norway, and its Saturday statement only spoke of reviewing conditions.
Mark
What is the CAS ruling doing here?
Mimi
It ordered the IIHF to let Russia return, and the World Juniors is the first event it touches.
Mark
And the host country?
Mimi
Canada's prime minister, Mark Carney, said Russians will not be there. That sits directly against the court order.
Luke
Nobody has explained how those two things fit together. The source says it's unclear, and I'd leave it there.
Mark
What about Germany?
Mimi
Frank Lutz is optimistic about hosting next May, but he offered no path. The government says a tournament with Russia would effectively be impossible because of boycotts.
Luke
And the Munich Olympic link is only a suggestion. The spokesman declined to speculate, so we don't know if it's influencing anything.
Mark
So what's known?
Mimi
Switzerland won't play Russia, and sponsors have threatened to leave. The rest waits on the IIHF.
The Pulse
- Norway says it has been dropped from the World Juniors to make way for Russia, while the IIHF's own website still lists it as a participant.
- A CAS ruling ordering Russia's return has jolted international hockey, and the IIHF is scrambling to meet it while protecting its finances and sponsors.
- Switzerland, Finland and Sweden have declared they will not play Russia, and corporate sponsors are threatening to walk away.
- Canada's prime minister has ruled out Russian athletes, setting up a direct clash with the court order just weeks before the December 26 opening.
- Germany's May world championship and Munich's Olympic bid now hang on whether a workable compromise emerges from Berlin's talks.
A federation's ruling, a small nation's sense of being quietly erased, and a host country's reluctant weighing of principle against hospitality all converge on a single question: whether sport can keep its doors open when the wider world has closed its own. Norway says it has been told it no longer has a place at the Canadian tournament, but the governing body has not yet said so in public, leaving a gap between what is whispered and what is written. Behind every statement lies the long shadow of the war in Ukraine, which has turned an athletic calendar into a question of conscience and diplomacy. The coming weeks will show whether the rules of competition can be reconciled with the refusals of those who host and play.
With the 2027 World Junior Championship only weeks away, no one can say with certainty who the tenth team will be. The Norwegian Ice Hockey Association says the International Ice Hockey Federation told it that Norway was being removed so Russia could take part. The federation has not announced any such change, and its website still lists Norway among the participants. Norway's general secretary, Petter Salsten, says he hopes the matter is not yet settled and is waiting for word from the IIHF.
The upheaval traces back to a ruling from the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which ordered international hockey to readmit Russia after its exclusion following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The IIHF has said it is taking the steps the ruling requires while reviewing the conditions needed to protect its championships and finances. Switzerland has already said its team will not face Russia, and Finland and Sweden have made similar declarations. Several longtime sponsors have threatened to leave if Russia returns.
Canada's prime minister, Mark Carney, has said Russian athletes will not compete on Canadian soil while their country wages war in Ukraine, and that includes the World Juniors. How that pledge fits with the court's order remains unclear.
Germany faces its own version of the dilemma. The German Ice Hockey Association hopes to host the men's World Championship next May, and its chairman, Frank H. Lutz, says he is optimistic and intends to keep the event. Berlin has said that a tournament including Russia would effectively be impossible given the boycotts, though it will pursue dialogue to save the event. The Foreign Ministry would not rule out visas for a Russian team, but called them difficult under current restrictions.
Some observers believe officials are speaking carefully because Munich is bidding for the Summer Olympics, and the International Olympic Committee has recently eased its sanctions on Russian athletes. The IOC will decide within weeks on Munich's bid. For now, all eyes are on whether the IIHF publishes its World Juniors field.
With the 2027 World Junior Championship only weeks away, nobody can say with certainty who the tenth team will be. The tournament opens on December 26 in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta, and the Norwegian Ice Hockey Association says it has been told it is out.
According to the association, known as the NIHF, the International Ice Hockey Federation informed it that Norway was being removed so that Russia could take part. The IIHF has not announced any such change publicly. As of Monday, its website still listed Norway among the participants.
The background is a ruling from the Court of Arbitration for Sport last month, which ordered the IIHF to allow Russia back into international play. The World Juniors is the first tournament affected. The IIHF had barred Russia and Belarus shortly after Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. On Saturday the federation said it was taking the steps the ruling requires and reviewing what conditions would need to be met to safeguard its championships, protect its financial stability and secure the long-term future of international hockey.
Switzerland has already responded. Swiss Ice Hockey said its team would not face Russia at the World Juniors, which would happen if Russia took Norway's place in the schedule. Finland, Sweden and others have also said they will not meet Russia in an international tournament, and several long-time corporate sponsors have threatened to withdraw if Russia is allowed to compete.
There is a larger obstacle too. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said last week that as long as Russia and Belarus support what he called an illegal, unjustified war in Ukraine, none of their athletes will compete for their countries in Canada. Asked specifically about the World Juniors, he said the Russians will not be there. How that pledge can be reconciled with the CAS order is unclear. It has given the NIHF some hope. General Secretary Petter Salsten said the federation hopes the last word has not been said about Norway's participation in Canada, and that it is awaiting further information from the IIHF in the coming days.
Germany faces a parallel problem. It is due to host the men's World Championship next May, and the German Ice Hockey Association (DEB) is in talks with the government in Berlin and the IIHF about how to proceed. DEB chairman Frank H. Lutz told MagentaSport on Saturday that he intends to hold the event in Germany and is very optimistic. He acknowledged the CAS-ordered requirement to include Russia and repeated the DEB's rejection of the ruling, but gave no sign of how the conflict might be resolved. He had earlier described handing back the hosting rights as a last resort, and he was due in Berlin this week for more consultations.
Government spokesman Stefan Kornelius said on Friday that Berlin supports the DEB's search for a solution, but that given the boycotts Russia's readmission would trigger, a tournament with Russia would effectively be impossible. The government intends to explore through dialogue how the event can still take place. Asked whether Germany could issue visas to a Russian team, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said that would be difficult under current restrictions. Spokesperson Martin Giese said that while Russia wages a war of aggression, there can be no normalcy, and Germany will not pretend otherwise. He did not categorically rule visas out.
Some have suggested officials are choosing their words carefully because of Munich's bid to host the Summer Olympics in 2036, 2040 or 2044. The International Olympic Committee recently lifted its sanctions on Russian athletes and its suspension of the Russian National Olympic Committee, and it may expect bidding national bodies such as the German Olympic Sports Confederation to follow its lead. Kornelius declined to speculate on implications. The IOC is due to decide within weeks whether Munich advances, so the timing could hardly be worse for the DOSB. For now, the next signal is whether the IIHF publishes its World Juniors field.
Notable Quotes
As long as that war is going on, there will be no Russian athletes competing for their countries in Canada; the Russians will not be at the World Juniors.— Mark Carney, Canadian prime minister
This makes us hope that the last word has not been said about our participation in Canada in December.— Petter Salsten, NIHF General Secretary
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