Russia's loss could be Kitchener and London's gain.
Waterloo Region and London have submitted a joint bid to host the 2023 World Junior Hockey Championships.
"It was never our intention to go public at this point," said Allistar Scorgie, the region's director of sport hosting. "But as these things go - word got out somehow."
Half the games during the tournament would be held at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium, home of the Kitchener Rangers. The other half would be played at Budweiser Gardens in London, home of the London Knights.
The Rangers and Knights are generally the top two OHL teams in terms of fan attendance.
Kitchener has been home to some special events as of late, including the 2022 CHL-NHL Top Prospects Game and the CHL Canada/Russia Super Series in 2019.
The 2022 World Junior tournament has yet to be completed. It was held earlier this year in Alberta, but postponed due to COVID-19, and will restart in August.
Russia was stripped of the rights to host the 2023 event by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) due to the invasion of Ukraine.
Scorgie expects a decision by Hockey Canada will be made soon.
