Finland and Norway ban Russian athletes from entering their territories

The Finnish and Norwegian governments will prevent Russian athletes from entering their territories, they confirmed Thursday, as the war between Russia and Ukraine continues.

The Finnish Foreign Ministry announced on Thursday that “there is no place for them” in the Scandinavian country as long as the war in Ukraine continues.

Minister Elena Valtonen said in a statement: “As long as the aggressive war waged by Russia continues, there is no place for Russian athletes in Finland,” adding: “Their entry into Finnish territory will constitute a threat to Finland’s international relations.”

In mid-October, the minister urged European Union member states to stop issuing tourist visas to Russians for the same reason.

Finland, which shares a 1,340-kilometre border with Russia, has stopped issuing visas to Russians for non-essential travel since 2022.

Entry restrictions will also apply to athletes participating in a neutral capacity. The ministry said in its statement: “Russia uses sport as a propaganda tool and seeks to employ it to advance the goals of its illegal aggressive war.”

The new visa rules for athletes are scheduled to come into effect from November 16, 2026.

In late October, Sweden asked the European Union to review and restrict visa rules for athletes representing Russia and Belarus. The goal was “to ensure a more consistent and stricter application within the European Union towards persons representing” these two countries during international sporting events, according to what Sweden explained in a letter sent to the European Commission.

In early November, the Finnish Ice Hockey Federation confirmed that it would use “all possible means” to prevent Russia’s reintegration into upcoming international competitions, in response to the decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport that ordered this.

In turn, the Norwegian government announced, on Thursday, that it would prevent Russian and Belarusian athletes from entering its territory to participate in sports competitions.

Norwegian Minister of Justice and Public Security Astri Aas Hansen said in a statement: “Norway already adopts a strict policy in granting visas to Russian and Belarusian citizens, but it has now decided to tighten the restrictions further, by expanding the range of categories allowed to enter the country.”

Norway is preparing to host one of the stages of the World Cup for Cross-Country Skiing next December, in the city of Trondheim, but the government decision may prevent Russian and Belarusian athletes from participating, despite their obtaining the approval of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation to participate in the competitions.

The International Ski Federation allowed Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in the competitions under specific conditions, including not displaying any national symbols or slogans representing their countries, and signing a declaration of neutrality.

Xavi Hernandez, coach of the Dutch national team, decided to officially give the team captaincy to Frenkie de Jong during the current international break.

The Spanish Barcelona midfielder will lead the team nicknamed “The Windmills” in the absence of Virgil van Dijk, the English Liverpool star, who is absent from the stadiums due to suffering from physical problems.

Xavi confirmed, during a press conference held on Thursday, that De Jong will serve as captain in the Netherlands national team's next two matches in the European Nations League, where the orange team will play against its Greek counterpart on Friday at the Johan Cruyff Arena, before visiting the German national team in the capital, Berlin, led by coach Jurgen Klopp, on Monday.

This decision comes in light of the continued absence of main captain Van Dijk from the two matches due to injury.

De Jong is no stranger to the responsibility of representing his country, but this appointment represents a milestone in his international career, and the player expressed his pride in this role earlier this week, saying: “Of course, this has great significance. I believe that holding the captaincy is a great honor for any player, myself included. To be a leader of your country. Representing the national team is the utmost that any player can aspire to, and now I have also become captain of the Dutch national team.”

The Dutch national team coach was quick to highlight the specific characteristics that made De Jong the ideal choice to lead the team in the absence of Van Dijk.

Having previously supervised his training at Barcelona, ​​Xavi has a deep understanding of the player’s mental and technical characteristics.

Xavi told the media: “I gave De Jong the captaincy primarily because of his personality. He loves possession of the ball, seeks to improve daily, and is always keen to be an active part of the team. “I know him well, and he always takes responsibility.”

In addition to his leadership qualities, De Jong's tactical importance in the Netherlands national team system cannot be overlooked, as Xavi sees him as a fundamental pillar of the team's identity, regardless of who wears the captaincy.

The Spanish coach confirmed this, saying: “Of course, I gave him the badge because of his potential as well, as I consider him one of the best midfielders in the world. “These reasons are very important to me as a coach.”

This match against Greece will be De Jong's 71st appearance with his country's national team, in a career that began in September 2018 when he participated for the first time as a substitute for Georginio Wijnaldum in a confrontation against Peru, cementing his position as an essential and indispensable element in the team's starting lineup since then.

Ronald Koeman, Frank de Boer, and Louis Van Gaal are the three coaches who preceded the current national team coach, so De Jong has played under the leadership of four different coaches at the international level.

The next two matches are of great importance to the Dutch team's hopes of reaching the quarter-finals of the European Nations League, as the team currently sits at the top of the standings of Group Two in the first level of the continental competition with eight points, superior on goal difference to its closest rivals, the Greek national team, who are on par with them on the same score, which makes Friday's match decisive in the qualification race.

The German team is in third place in the group standings with five points, while Serbia is at the bottom without any point.