By Gord Moose | North of Polite Opinion

In Dnipro on Sunday evening, the lights were coming back on before the heat. In Komyshuvakha, rescue crews searching the site of a deadly Russian bombing came under drone attack. Two rescue drivers were wounded. That same Sunday, Norway’s hockey federation said it had been told that Russia was taking Norway’s place at the World Juniors in Alberta. I find it disgusting that international hockey is making room for Russia’s national team while Ukrainian rescue crews are still being hit at the places they go to help.

Norway says it was bumped as the lowest-ranked team after the Court of Arbitration for Sport overturned the International Ice Hockey Federation’s ban on Russia. The IIHF had yet to formally announce the change in the reporting available Sunday. Canada has taken its own position. Prime Minister Mark Carney says Russia and Belarus won’t be allowed to compete for their countries here while the war continues. The tournament is scheduled to open on Boxing Day in Edmonton and Red Deer. Canada should stand by what it said.

The young players who would wear Russia’s jersey didn’t order this invasion. Putin’s government did. The United Nations General Assembly condemned Russia’s aggression as a violation of the UN Charter and demanded that Russia withdraw its forces. Ukrainians have spent years living with the consequences of that decision. They have every right to be furious at the prospect of seeing Russia welcomed back as a national team while their own families are still waiting for the heat to come back or for someone to tell them whether a loved one has been found.

What makes Norway’s account especially galling is that its federation was among those that said they would refuse to play Russia. Now Norway says it’s the team being told to stay home. If that decision stands, the IIHF owes those players and their families a straight answer about why their team is losing its place.

I want to watch the World Juniors on Boxing Day. I want the kids who earned their spots to play in front of packed stands in Edmonton and Red Deer. And I want Canada to have the backbone to tell Putin’s government that its national team can sit this one out. Ukrainians have had enough taken from them. The least Canada can do is keep its word.

Related reading · What Canada agreed to in its 100-year partnership with Ukraine

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