Estonia bars Russian and Belarusian athletes, joining Norway and Finland

Estonia will not allow Russian or Belarusian athletes to compete on its territory, its government has told the International Ski Federation, joining Norway, Finland and Canada in barring entries over the war in Ukraine.

Tallinn wrote to the FIS arguing that allowing entry to competitors from the two countries would undermine Estonia's support for Ukraine and present an opportunity for propaganda. The federation said in a statement that it offers "full support to athletes, national ski associations and local organisers," but that visa and entry policies remain in place and are "determined solely by the host country." FIS added that it bears no responsibility for denial of visas or entry to any person granted eligibility under its Individual Neutral Athlete policy.

In September the FIS relaxed its rules, saying competitors from the two countries would be granted access "provided that they sign a declaration of neutrality." Participation remains limited to individual events, with athletes banned from displaying national symbols such as flags, anthems or uniforms.

Norway and Finland announced on Thursday that they would also block visas. Norway is preparing to host the cross-country skiing World Cup next month, while Finland is due to stage the figure skating world championships in March. The International Skating Union said it "believes that athletes should not be punished for the actions of their governments" and that it was "seeking clarifications" from officials in Finland.

The Canadian government has informed its hockey authorities that it will not issue visas for Russians to play in next month's World Junior Championship, including those who currently play for teams in Canada.

The moves follow last month's decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport to overturn a ban of Russia by the International Ice Hockey Federation, a move condemned by the British, German, Finnish and Czech federations. Russia had been suspended from IIHF events since the country invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

The return of Russian and Belarusian athletes has been gathering pace. In March, several athletes from the two countries were allowed to compete under their national flags at the Winter Paralympics after partial suspensions by the International Paralympic Committee were lifted. In July the International Olympic Committee provisionally reinstated Russia, stating a ban introduced in 2023 after the invasion of Ukraine was "no longer applicable." World Athletics has maintained a total ban, and Moscow is due to host the 2030 World Weightlifting Championships.