Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney told reporters on Tuesday that Canada would not allow athletes from Russia and Belarus to take part in the World Junior Ice Hockey Championship, which is due to begin next month in the province of Alberta.
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On the same day, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and the Czech Republic announced that they would join Finland in refusing to play Russia at the world ice hockey championship next year, over Russia's war in Ukraine.
Since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the Nordic countries have been firmly opposed to Moscow and have stood with Kyiv.
The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) had banned Russia because of its invasion of Ukraine. However, on 30 October the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ordered the federation to allow Russian national teams to take part in its tournaments in the 2026-27 season.
The ruling came after the list of participating teams had been approved and the group draw had taken place, and it gave no guidance on how Russia should be included in the tournament. That event is scheduled to take place in Düsseldorf, Gelsenkirchen and Mannheim between 13 and 30 May 2027.
The IIHF expressed its opposition to the CAS decision, saying it would have "significant practical repercussions."
Finland announced on Monday that it would not play Russia. On Tuesday, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and the Czech Republic joined it.
The Norwegian Ice Hockey Federation said in a statement on Tuesday: "Based on the current situation and the available information, the Norwegian Ice Hockey Federation has decided that Norway will not play Russia during the 2027 world championship."
It added: "Our position calling for Russia to be excluded from all international tournaments for as long as the war in Ukraine continues remains unchanged."
The federation said Norway would play its remaining group matches according to the schedule and the draw, in Group B alongside Canada, the United States, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Denmark, Kazakhstan and Hungary.
Czech Ice Hockey Federation General Secretary Jan Tchirny said his country was joining the boycott.
He said: "No one should question the position of Czech ice hockey. We have clearly rejected, from the start, the return of Russian teams to international competition in the current situation, and we fully share this position with Finland, Sweden and other federations. Our position has not changed."
The Finnish Ice Hockey Federation said on Monday that it would use "all possible means to prevent Russia's return to the world championship."
Its president, Heikki Hietanen, said: "We are currently seeking to bring together as many countries as possible into a united front to tell the IIHF that none of us will play Russia under the current circumstances."
The Finnish city of Turku also announced on Monday that it would withdraw from hosting the 2027-28 World Junior Ice Hockey Championship if Russia were allowed to take part.
The Swedish sponsor AJ Produkter, the tournament's official partner since 1989, announced that it would remove all of its advertising, including the logos on the referees' uniforms. The Czech sponsor Tipsport said it did not want its advertising to appear during matches involving Russia.
