Russia has a "plan B" if Canada refuses visas to junior hockey players
Canada's prime minister says Russians will "definitely" be refused visas for the junior hockey worlds. Mikhail Degtyaryov says Russia has a plan B.
Will Russian players even get to Canada for the junior hockey World Championship? Canada's prime minister says no. Russia says it has a backup.
Prime Minister Mark Carney said Russians would "definitely" be refused visas for the tournament, which takes place at the end of this year. Mikhail Degtyaryov responded on Tuesday that Russia has a "plan B" in case Canada does turn the players away.
He didn't stop there. According to Degtyaryov, "everything will be fine for Russia, and it will be bad for Canada." He did not spell out what the plan involves.
Some background
Canada was awarded the 2026 World Junior Championship years ago, so the visa question has hung over the event for a while. Russian national teams and clubs have also been suspended from all IIHF (the international ice hockey federation) competitions since February 2022, after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
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Russian team visas for Canada junior World Championship · 3 updates
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