The 2003 IIHF World U20 Championship, commonly referred as the 2003 World Junior Hockey Championships, was the 27th edition of the Ice Hockey World Junior Championship. The tournament was held in Halifax and Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada, from December 26, 2002 to January 5, 2003. Russia won the gold medal for the second consecutive year with a 3–2 victory over Canada in the championship game, while Finland won the bronze medal with a 3–2 victory over the United States.

Sydney is a former city and urban community on the east coast of Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, Canada within the Cape Breton Regional Municipality. Sydney was founded in 1785 by the British, was incorporated as a city in 1904, and dissolved on 1 August 1995, when it was amalgamated into the regional municipality.