The Norwegian Ice Hockey Federation has announced that the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) has removed Norway from the list of participants in the 2027 World Junior Championship to make room for Russia. Norway received official notification of the decision on November 7. The move follows a ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which ordered the IIHF to readmit Russian teams to international tournaments. However, Russia’s participation in the championship remains uncertain, as Canadian authorities—who are hosting the event—have said they will not issue visas to Russian players. According to the IIHF notification, Norway—having the lowest ranking among participants—must move from the tournament’s top division down to Division IA. The Norwegian federation underscored that its final status in the tournament has not yet been determined. Norway is still listed among the 10 participating teams on the championship’s official website , with its first match against Czechia scheduled for December 26. Russia’s return was made possible by a CAS decision issued on October 30. The court upheld an appeal from the Russian Ice Hockey Federation, ruling that the IIHF had not provided sufficient evidence to justify further exclusion of Russian teams on safety grounds. Arbitrators determined that, under current federation rules, barring athletes of a specific nationality is only permitted if there are substantiated security threats. The IIHF stated that it does not agree with the CAS ruling but is obliged to comply. The federation emphasized that Russia’s return presents significant logistical challenges, including complications with the tournament schedule, participant safety, and organizing previously planned events. Several national federations have opposed the re-entry of Russia. Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Czechia, and Latvia have all expressed their unwillingness to play against the Russian team. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has also said that Russian players will not be allowed to take part in the World Junior Championship on Canadian soil. As a result, despite the CAS decision and the shuffle of tournament participants, staging the competition with Russia remains in doubt. Russian and Belarusian teams were suspended from IIHF events following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The CAS decision applies to five IIHF world championships in 2027, including the men's championship in Germany, where the Ukrainian team is set to compete in the top division. If the IIHF uses the same principle of replacing the lowest-ranked team, Ukraine could also lose its spot, though no official decision has been made on that issue.