CHL cancels Canada-Russia Series as sports leagues continue to stand with Ukraine

With the exception of the upcoming Paralympics, Russian athletes were restricted from competing in more sporting events around the world on Wednesday as the junior Canadian Hockey League has cancelled its annual Canada-Russia series but has not yet decided about banning Russian and Belarusian players from its international draft.

The CHL said in a statement that a format for its import draft will be decided at a later date.

Sports including biathlon and table tennis were among those to join more than a dozen other Olympic sports in excluding competitors from Russia and Belarus because of the invasion of Ukraine. The International Paralympic Committee, however, said Russians and Belarusians would be able to compete in Beijing as "neutral athletes" without national symbols.

Blanket bans have been imposed in soccer, track, basketball and hockey, among other sports, following an appeal from the International Olympic Committee to exclude Russians and Belarusians from international events.

A statement from the Canadian Hockey League / Une déclaration de la Ligue canadienne de hockey <a href="https://t.co/2o2A3toG1j">pic.twitter.com/2o2A3toG1j</a>

The IOC, however, left open the possibility of allowing them to compete as neutral athletes if expulsion was not possible because of short notice.

The Winter Paralympics open Friday and numerous Russian athletes are already in the Chinese capital. The IPC has said it is working to get the Ukrainian team there, too.

"We fully respect this decision" by Paralympics leaders, IOC president Thomas Bach said Wednesday at an online briefing to explain its guidance to sports bodies.

Other sports bodies which have so far let Russians and Belarusians keep competing as neutral athletes include