Norway says IIHF bumped it to allow Russia at world juniors
The gist
Norway's ice hockey federation says it was dropped from the world juniors so Russia could take its spot.
Canada's visa ban and boycott threats leave Russia's participation itself in doubt.
How it unfolded
- Nov 4, 2026Skoda, main sponsor of the men's world championship for more than 30 years, says it will "reassess" its backing if Russia takes part; the IIHF says the ruling's impact had been "significantly underestimated".
- Nov 6, 2026Wayne Gretzky weighs in on Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's call to bar Russia from the world juniors.
- Nov 8, 2026Norway says it has been informed it is being bumped by Russia from the world junior championships in Canada and relegated to the 1A Division, which would send it to the D1A WJC in Hungary from Dec. 6-12.
Key terms
- IIHF
- The worldwide governing body for ice hockey, based in Zurich, Switzerland, made up of national ice hockey associations.
- world juniors
- An annual international ice hockey tournament organized by the IIHF for national under-20 teams, held around late December to early January.
- Court of Arbitration for Sport
- An international arbitration body established in 1984 to settle sports-related disputes, headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Source: Wikipedia