Norway ice hockey team dropped from World Juniors for Russia

The International Ice Hockey Federation has moved the Norwegian junior ice hockey team out of the World Junior Championship in Alberta, Canada, to make room for Russia, Euronews reported. The Kyiv Post and the Kyiv Independent also reported that Russia will replace Norway in the tournament. According to Euronews, the decision follows a ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport ordering that Russian teams be reinstated in international competition. [1][6][8]

Norway, which is ranked 10th, has been moved down to Division 1A, Euronews reported. The Washington Post, WWLP, KRQE, DW, CBC, and Macau Business all reported that Norway announced it was bumped or kicked out by the governing body to allow Russia to compete. Euronews noted that the tournament change is not yet confirmed and that Russia has not been guaranteed Canadian visas. The Province reported that Canada is still saying no to the move. [1][2][3][4][5][7][9][10]

The decision has sparked further pushback across European ice hockey. DW reported that Switzerland has joined a boycott of the games. As FTMQ News reported earlier, the Court of Arbitration for Sport issued its ruling on October 30 to allow Russia to return to international ice hockey, prompting nations including Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Latvia, and Czechia to announce that they will refuse to play against Russian teams. [5][15][16]

Ice hockey is a team sport played on ice skates where two opposing teams score by using sticks to shoot a rubber puck into the net of the opposing team. Each game features six skaters per team on the ice at a time during regular play. [11]