Norway will ban entry to Russian and Belarusian athletes for participation in competitions

As reported by Vedomosti, Norway will ban entry into the country for Russian and Belarusian athletes and the personnel accompanying them if the purpose of the trip is participation in sports competitions. Entry will be denied by Norway’s Directorate of Immigration (UDI) and the Police Directorate (POD).

The new restrictions will take effect in the near future. The Norwegian government explained that the decision is linked to the easing of restrictions by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and a number of international sports federations.

At the same time, the authorities emphasized that the measures will apply regardless of the IOC’s and federations’ decisions on admission to competitions. Norway’s Minister of Culture and Equality, Lubna Jaffery, said that the government does not intend to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete on the country’s territory while the conflict in Ukraine continues.

On November 12, Finland also tightened entry restrictions for Russian citizens for non-essential purposes, including short-term work on a visa and trips by athletes, including under neutral status. On November 11, it became known that Canada does not intend to issue visas to Russians for participation in the World Junior Ice Hockey Championship, and the country’s authorities informed the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) about this.

Sources

• Vedomosti