Sweden is examining whether it can refuse visas to Russian and Belarusian athletes seeking to compete in international sporting events on its soil, Migration Minister Johan Forssell told Reuters on Wednesday. The move could prevent athletes granted neutral status from taking part in next year's Nordic World Ski Championships in Falun.

Source: Reuters

"We are currently analysing the legal grounds on which visas for Russian and Belarusian athletes could be refused," Forssell said in a statement to Reuters. "The Swedish government is strongly critical of Russian and Belarusian athletes being allowed to participate in international competitions," he added, saying there was "an obvious risk" that participation could lead to "the normalization of Russia's aggression against Ukraine."

Forssell said the government supported the position of the Swedish Ski Association and the Swedish Sports Confederation that Russian and Belarusian athletes should not be allowed to compete in Sweden, Reuters reported. The International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) has granted neutral status to several Russian athletes, making them eligible to compete in its events, and FIS did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Swedish reporting carried the same push from the sport's side. The Swedish Ski Association's secretary general, Pernilla Bonde, told the TT news agency, via Sweden Herald, that the association believed Russian and Belarusian skiers should not be allowed to compete while the war continues, and that it was seeking a government visa refusal for the Falun championships, scheduled for February and March. Russian and Belarusian athletes have faced widespread restrictions in international sport since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Reuters noted. Sources: Reuters (Oct 21, 2026); Sweden Herald / TT (Oct 21, 2026).

Source: Sweden Herald / TT