Norway’s nightmare scenario for the upcoming IIHF World Junior Championship may indeed be unfolding.
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scenario → unfold → Championship
After warning last week that its junior team could be booted from the tournament in favour of Russia after a legal ruling, the Norwegian Ice Hockey Association said that will indeed be the case when the puck drops next month in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alta.
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puck → warn → Edmonton
The NIHA said it received confirmation on Saturday from the International Ice Hockey Federation that its team, currently the No. 10 seed for the world juniors, will be competing in the second tier as the hockey landscape undergoes upheaval over a Russian appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
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landscape → say → Sport
A statement on the NIHA website, however, warned that they are still awaiting “final clarification.
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they → warn → clarification
“As the IIHF is bound by the CAS decision, they must move forward with the implementation and necessary adjustments to the championship structure,” said the statement, which was translated from Norwegian.
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which → bind → Norwegian
“In the new setup for the U20 world juniors in Canada … Russia has been placed as nation No. 10.
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Russia → place → .
This means that Norway, as the lowest ranked team, will be moved down to Division 1A.”
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Norway → mean → 1A.
Norway won promotion from Division 1A
Norway gained promotion to the 10-team World Junior Championship last season by topping a Division 1A field that also included Kazakhstan, Austria, Slovenia, Ukraine and France.
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that → win → Kazakhstan
Denmark was demoted from the top-tier 2027 championship tournament with a loss to Germany in last season’s relegation round.
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Denmark → demote → round
The 2027 championship was slated to begin on Dec. 26 with Finland, Germany, Slovakia, Sweden and the U.S. in Group A and Canada, the Czech Republic, Latvia, Norway and Switzerland in Group B.
But that was immediately put into question after a ruling announced on Oct. 30 by the CAS upheld an appeal by the Russian Ice Hockey Federation to have its teams reinstated for the 2026-27 IIHF season.
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teams → slat → season
The ruling ordered the IIHF, which had banned Russian teams over security and safety concerns in the wake of the Ukraine war, to allow them back into five tournaments this season: The world juniors, under-18 men’s and women’s championships and the senior men’s and women’s worlds.
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which → order → tournaments
Several European countries and tournament sponsors have protested the decision with Sweden, Finland, Latvia and the Czech Republic refusing to play Russia on the world stage.
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Sweden → protest → stage
Title sponsor Skoda and others helping finance next year’s senior men’s world championship in Germany have either threatened to pull their support or asked to have their logos removed.
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logos → help → support
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Russia ‘absolutely’ not allowed to compete:
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Russia → recommend → ?
Prime Minister Mark Carney also weighed in on the issue last week, vowing that Russian and Belarusian athletes would “absolutely” not be allowed to compete for their country in Canada as the Ukraine war continues.
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war → weigh → Canada
The Prime Minister’s Office told the Vancouver Sun in a statement on Sunday that Carney’s position had not changed.
“As the prime minister said, athletes from Russia and Belarus will not be able to compete for their countries in Canada so long as the unjustified war against Ukraine continues,” spokesperson Audrey Champagne said in an email to the Vancouver Sun.
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Champagne → tell → Sun
Hockey Canada, which last week said it welcomed Carney’s “strong position” on the dispute, told the Vancouver Sun that they had nothing to add “beyond our statement regarding our government’s position.”
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they → say → position
An email seeking clarification from the IIHF on the status of the Norwegian and Russian teams for the world juniors was not immediately returned.
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email → seek → juniors
The NIHA, meanwhile, said it was awaiting further information in the coming days after previously making it clear “where we stand on the issue of Russia’s participation.
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we → say → participation
“We believe they should not be able to participate internationally as long as the war in Ukraine continues,” NIHA Secretary General Petter Salsten said.
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Salsten → believe → Ukraine
“This also clearly shows all the practical challenges and immediate consequences for everyone involved when countries are to be reinstated immediately.”
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countries → show → everyone
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