Estonia has moved to restrict Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing on its territory, joining other countries opposing the participation of athletes from the two nations amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.
The development follows a decision by the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) to ease restrictions on Russian and Belarusian athletes, allowing them to compete in certain events as Individual Neutral Athletes.
According to a report by the BBC, the Estonian government wrote to FIS expressing concerns about the participation of athletes from the two countries in competitions hosted by Estonia.
Start tomorrow informed
Save your place for the morning brief. We’ll start emailing when delivery goes live.
Free. Confirm by email. Unsubscribe anytime.
The government argued that allowing them to compete would undermine Estonia's support for Ukraine and create opportunities for Russian propaganda.
The move comes after FIS revised its eligibility rules in September, allowing Russian and Belarusian athletes to return to its competitions under neutral status, provided they sign a declaration of neutrality.
Previously, the athletes faced stricter background checks to establish whether they had voluntarily supported or received payment from their respective militaries.
Under the revised rules, eligible athletes are prohibited from displaying national symbols, including flags, anthems and national uniforms.
Reacting to the controversy, FIS said its Individual Neutral Athlete policy remained in place but emphasised that host countries retained the authority to determine visa and entry requirements.
The federation added that it was not responsible for entry or visa refusals involving athletes who had been granted neutral status.
Estonia's decision follows similar moves by Norway and Finland, which announced restrictions on Russian and Belarusian athletes seeking to enter their territories for sporting competitions.
Norway said its restrictions would remain in place while the war in Ukraine continues, while Finland cited concerns about its international relations.
Russia and Belarus have faced restrictions across several international sporting competitions since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
However, the return of athletes from both countries has gained momentum in 2026, with some international sporting bodies gradually easing their restrictions.
In March, athletes from Russia and Belarus were allowed to compete under their national flags at the Winter Paralympics after the International Paralympic Committee partially lifted its restrictions.
The International Olympic Committee also provisionally reinstated Russia to its competitions in July, although individual sporting federations retain authority over eligibility rules for their events.
While organisations such as World Gymnastics, World Aquatics and World Boxing have relaxed restrictions on Russian athletes, World Athletics has maintained its ban.
Discussion0