Russian Players With Visas Still Barred From World Juniors, Ottawa Says

Russian hockey players will be barred from competing at next month’s world junior championship in Alberta, even if they already have valid Canadian visas, the federal government says. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada will take steps to assess Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials individually and prevent them from entering Canada to compete, according to a Nov. 11 statement from Secretary of State for Sport Adam van Koeverden. “These measures are not directed at the Russian and Belarusian people,” the statement said. “Rather, they are intended to prevent the governments of Russia and Belarus from using international sporting events hosted in Canada as platforms for state representation, political legitimacy and propaganda.”