Russia’s hopes of reintegration into international sport suffered a setback when it was barred from the upcoming Junior Ice Hockey World Championships.

Canada said it would deny entry to Russian athletes as a result of the war in Ukraine.

“Due to the position and restrictions formally communicated by the Canadian government, the Russian Under-20 national team is unable to participate in the World Junior Championship,” the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) said in a statement.

It said that “after carefully assessing the feasibility of alternative arrangements, the IIHF Council has determined that Canada will remain as host and the tournament will proceed from 26 December 2026 to 5 January 2027 in Edmonton and Red Deer.”

The Russian Ice Hockey Federation called the IIHF’s decision “unacceptable and unlawful” and said it would appeal to the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

“The IIHF’s decision was made solely due to political reasons,” it said in a statement.

“The exclusion of the Russian national team violates fundamental legal principles, Olympism, the principle of non-discrimination, equality among athletes and the integrity of international tournaments.”

Russia had been suspended from competing in IIHF events since the country invaded Ukraine in 2022, but last month the Court of Arbitration for Sport overturned the ban.

It said that the IIHF’s arguments citing safety and security were “not supported by sufficient evidence” and ordered it to allow Russia to participate in its events.

The move was welcomed by Russia but condemned by Ukraine and along with some sponsors of the Junior World Championships.

Six European ice hockey federations said they would refuse to play Russia if they were allowed to take part, appearing to leave the tournament in limbo.

On Wednesday the Canadian government said it would deny visas to any Russian athletes, effectively barring them from participating.

It is the latest example of a wider backlash against efforts to allow Russia to return to international sport.

This week Norway, Finland and Estonia said they would block visas for Russian and Belarusian athletes.

Norway is preparing to host skiing’s Cross-country World Cup next month, while Finland is due to stage the Figure Skating World Championships in March.

The International Skating Union (ISU) has said it “believes that athletes should not be punished for the actions of their governments in a world where, sadly, many conflicts are ongoing”, and that it was “seeking clarifications” from officials in Finland.

In March several athletes from Russia and Belarus were allowed to compete under their national flags at the Winter Paralympics after partial suspensions by the International Paralympic Committee were lifted.

In July the IOC provisionally reinstated Russia to its competitions, saying a ban introduced in 2023 was “no longer applicable”.

However, sports federations can enforce their own eligibility criteria.

While World Gymnastics, World Aquatics and World Boxing have removed restrictions on Russian athletes competing, a total ban has been maintained by World Athletics.

Last month it was announced that Moscow will host the 2030 World Weightlifting Championships, the first time an Olympic federation has chosen to stage a global event in Russia since the invasion of Ukraine.