Norway will deny Russian and Belarusian professional athletes and their support staff entry if they travel to the country to compete, the government announced on Thursday. The restrictions will apply under Norway’s Immigration Act, meaning that approval to compete under an international federation’s rules will not by itself allow athletes to enter the country.

The Ministry of Justice and Public Security will instruct the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration and the Police Directorate to refuse entry or remove athletes and staff covered by the measure. The government said the changes would take effect shortly but did not give a date.

Neutral status will not override border rules

The International Ski and Snowboard Federation, or FIS, allows some Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete in individual events as neutral participants. But eligibility under federation rules does not override the host country’s visa and immigration requirements, FIS has said.

The Norwegian government said elite Russian sport has close ties to Russian authorities and state structures, and that Russia’s participation in international sport cannot be separated from its ongoing war against Ukraine. It also said Belarus had supported and facilitated Russia’s military campaign. Justice Minister Astri Aas Hansen said Norway had already applied restrictive visa practices to Russian and Belarusian citizens and was now tightening the requirements further.

The potential reach of the measure is considerable. NRK reported that a FIS-approved list for the 2026–27 season contains about 478 Russian and Belarusian athletes and support staff across cross-country skiing, ski jumping and Nordic combined. The figure does not include biathlon, which is governed by a separate federation.

Upcoming events in Norway

The restrictions come ahead of World Cup events in Norway, including cross-country skiing in Trondheim, scheduled for December 4–6, and ski jumping in Lillehammer. Russian and Belarusian athletes who meet FIS eligibility rules could still be denied entry under Norway’s immigration measures. The exact start date for the Norwegian changes has not been announced.

Finland announced related restrictions on November 12, saying Russian citizens with Schengen visas would be admitted from November 16 only for tasks deemed necessary to the national interest, with sport excluded. The Norwegian Sports Federation has opposed Russian and Belarusian participation in international competitions since the start of the war. Under the new rules, access to competitions on Norwegian territory will depend on Norwegian immigration authorities, not solely on the athletes’ status with their sport’s federation.