“Norway already has a restrictive visa policy for Russian and Belarusian citizens, but is now tightening the requirements for those allowed to travel here,” Justice Minister Astri Aas-Hansen said in a press release.
On Thursday, the Finnish government announced that visas would not be issued to Russian athletes who want to compete in the country.
Now Norway is following suit. The government says Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials will be denied entry under the Aliens Act if they travel to Norway to take part in sports competitions, according to the news agency NTB.
This winter, Norway is hosting a series of World Cup events in sports governed by the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS).
According to the Norwegian newspaper VG, more than 300 Russian and Belarusian athletes have been granted neutral status by FIS, along with more than 150 officials from the two countries. FIS organizes competitions in sports such as cross-country skiing, ski jumping, Nordic combined, freestyle skiing, alpine skiing and snowboarding.
The Swedish government also wants to prevent Russian athletes from competing in the World Ski Championships in Falun this winter.
The government has sent a letter to the European Commission urging it to speed up new visa rules so that Sweden can deny visas to more Russian and Belarusian citizens.
“The government shares the Finnish government’s view that, as long as Russia continues its war of aggression against Ukraine, we cannot pretend that nothing has happened and welcome Russian athletes back to international competitions,” Migration Minister Johan Forssell (M) wrote to TT earlier on Thursday, following Finland’s announcement.
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