WASHINGTON, November 4. /TASS/. By sidelining Russian and Belarusian hockey players, Ottawa is eliminating serious rivals even before the game begins, Russian Ambassador to Ottawa Oleg Stepanov told TASS.
He commented on the Canadian government’s decision not to issue visas to Russian athletes for participations in the world junior hockey championship, which will be held in the country late this year and early next year. "It is regrettable that the office of [Canadian Prime Minister Mark] Carney is injecting politics even into youth hockey meant to bring people together, not drive them apart. By suspending Russian and Belarusian players, Ottawa is quite shrewdly eliminating formidable rivals before the puck is even dropped. While such a strategy might be convenient for winning trophies, it has nothing to do with the spirit of fair competition," he said.