E-Paper
Finland, Norway block visas for Russian athletes
Finland, Norway block visas for Russian athletes
Prefer HTon Google
Finland's government on Thursday announced it was restricting visas for Russian athletes, insisting that they had "no business" in the country as long as the Ukraine war goes on.
Hours later, Norway announced that it would prevent professional Russian and Belarusian sportspeople from competing on its territory.
Finland is preparing to host the Figure Skating World Championships in the city of Tampere in March 2027, and the International Skating Union said in a statement it was "studying" the implications of the decision.
The Finnish government issued a resolution that tightened restrictions for Russians applying for short-term work visas, including for professional sports.
According to the new restrictions, "Russian citizens will only be allowed to work under a Schengen visa in tasks that are essential to Finland's national interests," said a foreign ministry statement.
Schengen visas allow travel within 29 European countries signed up to the system.
Russian athletes, including those competing under a neutral flag, will be blocked from acquiring visas to the Nordic country.
"As long as Russia's war of aggression continues, Russian athletes have no business in Finland," Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen said in a statement.
"Their entry into the country would be a threat to Finland's international relations."
- 'Tool for propaganda' -
Norway's government noted in its statement that Norway already had strict rules for visas for Russian and Belarusian citizens.
But recent "relaxations introduced by international sports federations" meant more athletes and support staff from the two countries might come there to compete.
Norway is preparing to host the World Cup in cross-country skiing in December in the town of Trondheim.
This decision, however, means Russian and Belarusian athletes could be blocked from competing despite having been cleared by the International Ski and Snowboard Federation .
The new rules in Finland, which shares a 1,340-kilometre long border with Russia, are set to come into effect on November 16.
"The aim of the change is to prevent entries that Russia could use to spread messages supporting its war," Valtonen told reporters.
Russia uses "sports as a tool for propaganda", she added.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga welcomed Finland's move and urged other European nations to "close the remaining loopholes, and strengthen coordinated pressure on Russia," in a post on X.
- Hockey ruling -
The ISU said it believed "that athletes should not be punished for the actions of the governments in a world where, sadly, many conflicts are ongoing".
It added that it was seeking "further clarifications" from the Finnish organisers.
Finland's decision followed a ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport on October 30, which opened the door for the Russian ice hockey team returning to the World Championships next year.
The International Ice Hockey Federation , which had banned Russia from competition since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, had opposed the CAS decision.
Several countries, including Finland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and the Czech Republic, have said they would refuse to play Russia at the World Championships in Germany.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said last week Russia would not be allowed to compete at the upcoming World Junior Hockey Championships in Alberta.
The Finnish city of Turku has also announced it will withdraw from hosting the next edition of the tournament in 2027-2028 if Russia participates.
Russia's President Vladimir Putin last week praised the International Olympic Committee and CAS for "taking decisions to uphold the Olympic Charter and its principles".
He criticised countries opposing Russia's return to international sports.
ank/jj/sbk
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
