Estonia has said it will not allow Russian or Belarusian athletes to compete on its territory, becoming the latest country to take that step over the war in Ukraine, BBC Sport reported. Norway, Finland and Canada have made similar announcements. The moves come as a backlash grows over the reinstatement of athletes from Russia and Belarus. In September, the International Ski Federation relaxed its rules, saying competitors from the two countries would be granted access to events "provided that they sign a declaration of neutrality." They had previously faced stricter background checks on any voluntary or paid link with the military. Participation remains limited to individual events, and athletes are still banned from displaying national symbols such as flags, anthems or uniforms.
Estonia's government has written to the FIS, arguing that allowing entry to competitors from Russia and Belarus would undermine the country's support for Ukraine and present an opportunity for propaganda. It said a ban issued in 2022 will be maintained. In a statement to BBC Sport, the FIS said it "is committed to offering full support to athletes, national ski associations and local organisers." The federation's September change was meant to let some athletes return under neutrality conditions. Estonia's letter is a host-nation refusal, not a rewrite of the FIS rulebook: the country is saying that, whatever the federation permits, those athletes will not compete on Estonian soil.
For a small NATO country on Russia's border, the sporting question is bound up with a wider security argument. Officials present the ban as consistency with a 2022 policy and with support for Ukraine, not as a new one-off. Critics of blanket bans often say they punish individuals who have signed neutrality declarations; Estonia's government is instead emphasizing the propaganda risk of even a neutral appearance. The cluster of similar statements from Norway, Finland and Canada suggests the FIS will face a patchwork of host-country rules, with some World Cup or championship venues simply closed to those athletes.
The verified news is Estonia's decision and the letter to the FIS, alongside the federation's existing neutrality policy. It is not a global ban, and it is not a change to how events are run in countries that still accept Russian and Belarusian competitors under the September rules. Estonia is therefore telling the FIS that a neutrality declaration and a ban on flags will not be enough for events it hosts, and that the 2022 prohibition, not the September loosening, remains the rule inside its borders, a position now shared in outline by Norway, Finland and Canada.