Finland and Norway bar Russian athletes from their territories from 16 November

Finland will deny short-term work visas to Russian athletes — including those competing under a neutral flag — from 16 November, the Finnish government announced Thursday. Hours later, Norway said it would prevent professional Russian and Belarusian sportspeople from competing on its territory.

Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen said Russian athletes have "no business" in Finland while Russia's war of aggression continues and that their entry "would be a threat to Finland's international relations." The ministry's resolution restricts Russian citizens to Schengen work visas only for tasks "essential to Finland's national interests."

The International Skating Union said it was "studying" the implications after Finland's move put the 2027 Figure Skating World Championships in Tampere at risk. The ISU stated that it believes "athletes should not be punished for the actions of the governments."

Norway's new rules are set to block Russian and Belarusian athletes from the World Cup in cross-country skiing in Trondheim in December, despite them having been cleared by the International Ski and Snowboard Federation. Norway cited recent "relaxations introduced by international sports federations" as the trigger for the tightened stance.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga welcomed Finland's decision and urged other European nations to "close the remaining loopholes, and strengthen coordinated pressure on Russia."

Finland's decision followed a 30 October Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling that opened the door for the Russian ice hockey team to return to the World Championships. The International Ice Hockey Federation had opposed that ruling. Finland, alongside Denmark, Norway, Sweden and the Czech Republic, has said it would refuse to play Russia at the ice hockey World Championships in Germany. The Finnish city of Turku also announced it will withdraw from hosting the 2027–2028 edition of that tournament if Russia participates.