What has become a holiday tradition for many hockey fans in Canada and beyond will not be impacted by the news of a ban on Russian Athletes in international competitions. According to Russian news outlet Sport24.ru, the ban doesn't include athletes considered youths. Here's an excerpt from an article released after the ban was announced Monday:
Junior (under 18 years), youth (under 20 years) world championships and youth Olympic games should not be subject to restrictions and hockey players will take part in them as part of the national teams of Russia under the Russian flag.
The World Junior Hockey Championship is an Under 20 tournament.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) approved a recommendation Monday by its Compliance Review Committee to ban Russia from what it defines as major international competitions for four years. That includes Olympic games and World Championships across all sports, not just hockey. The ban leaves the door open to Russian athletes determined to be free of doping to compete under a neutral flag. Russian government officials are barred from attending such events and Russia is not eligible to host or even bid to host major events during the same time period.
Russia now has 21 days to appeal the decision. If it chooses to do so, the case will be referred to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
The ban follows the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee after the Olympic doping controversy in which several athletes were suspended and had medals stripped after being found guilty of taking banned substances. The Review Committee's recommendation to ban Russia Monday was based on its finding that Moscow had falsified doping data from the Russian Anti-Doping Agency's (RUSADA) lab, which was handed over to WADA investigators in January.
Russia is often in medal contention at the WJHC. Last year, the country won bronze. It failed to medal in the previous year, but won back-to-back silver medals in 2015 and 2016. The team last won gold at the World Juniors in 2011.
Source: Sport24.ru
