Oslo’s mayor, Anne Lindboe (H), is calling on the government to impose a visa ban on Russian athletes during the World Cup races at Holmenkollen this winter.
In a press release, Lindboe writes that she is asking the government to reconsider the exemption for professional athletes and to carry out a thorough assessment of the matter.
“Ukrainians are fighting every single day for their country, their freedom and the right to determine their own future. Oslo is hosting the World Cup, and as long as Russia continues its brutal war of aggression against Ukraine, Russian athletes have no place on the starting line at Holmenkollen,” writes Lindboe.
She believes that the Norwegian authorities do not need to comply with the FIS’s position.
“The fact that the FIS is opening the door to Russian athletes does not mean that the government must do the same,” she writes.
The background to this is that the International Ski Federation (FIS) has relaxed the rules on so-called neutral status, and 173 athletes have so far been approved. Norway has a strict visa policy towards Russian citizens, but last season Russian athletes were allowed in through an exemption linked to work permits. That exemption remains in the guidelines, according to Fædrelandsvennen.
Roger Finjord, President of the Norwegian Ski Federation, wants a response from the authorities before the season starts.
– Our stance has been the same all along. We do not want Russian participation,” says Finjord.
He believes that it is the authorities, and not the sports organisations, who decide who is granted a visa, and that the government has the opportunity here to support Norwegian sport.
The World Cup features several races in Norway this winter, including ski jumping in Lillehammer on 20–22 November and cross-country skiing in Granåsen on 4–6 December. Cross-country skiing is on the programme at Holmenkollen on 13 and 14 March. The International Biathlon Union (IBU) is also holding the Biathlon World Cup Final at Holmenkollen, and Russia and Belarus remain banned from that event.
Sweden is considering taking the same action. The Swedish Ski Association wants Russian athletes to be denied visas for the World Ski Championships in Falun in February and March, and Migration Minister Johan Forssell told Reuters on 21 October that the Swedish government is analysing the available legal options.
