Oslo mayor Anne Lindboe's call for Norway to refuse visas to Russian cross-country skiers ahead of this winter's World Cup races has drawn sharp criticism from Russia, TV 2 reports. The mayor made the proposal in a press release earlier this week, arguing that Russian athletes do not belong in Holmenkollen. Her remarks were picked up widely in Russia, where both the national ski federation and the embassy responded.
Why it matters
The dispute puts a spotlight on a question Norway has been circling for months: whether the exemption that lets professional athletes enter the country despite a restrictive visa policy toward Russian citizens should stand. Lindboe's intervention pushes that debate into the open just as the international ski federation has widened access for Russian and Belarusian competitors, and as neighbouring Sweden weighs a similar move ahead of its own championships. How Norway answers will shape who lines up at the start line in Holmenkollen next March.
Ski federation president says mayor should mind Oslo's business
Dmitrij Svistsjov, president of the Russian ski federation, told Match TV that Lindboe should focus on the Norwegian capital rather than sport policy. He described Oslo as a fine and attractive city but said he assumed it had enough internal matters to occupy its mayor without her weighing in on politics, let alone trying to dictate sporting policy. He added that her opinions were not needed on this issue, according to TV 2.
Embassy calls the proposal discriminatory
The Russian embassy also reacted, telling the news agency Ria Novosti that it regarded the mayor's remarks as plainly discriminatory. The embassy said statements of this kind from the leader of a city that hosts international competitions could only cause concern.
It went on to ask whether Norway could guarantee equal and non-discriminatory conditions for every athlete cleared to compete, given that a host-country official had publicly challenged the decisions of the international federation and suggested screening out unwanted participants through the visa system.
Federation has widened access for Russian and Belarusian athletes
Ahead of the coming season, the International Ski and Snowboard Federation relaxed its rules on Russian and Belarusian athletes obtaining neutral status. Close to 200 athletes have so far cleared that process, according to TV 2's reporting.
Norway maintains a restrictive visa and entry policy for Russian citizens, but professional athletes are covered by an exception. That carve-out is what sports bodies and several political parties have pressed the government on, asking whether it should continue to apply.
Minister points to sport's own decisions
Lubna Jaffery of the Labour Party said the government is concerned that questions about international participation in events held in Norway are matters rooted in Norwegian sport. She noted that the sport's own international bodies have decided that Russian and Belarusian athletes may take part in their competitions.
Jaffery said the government is in dialogue with the Norwegian Sports Federation on these questions and is looking at various options together with it. She added that the issue is also being actively discussed in the other Nordic countries and that Norway will talk with its neighbours about it.
Sweden weighs a similar step
Last week it emerged that Sweden's ski federation wants the country's authorities to deny visas to Russians in connection with the World Ski Championships in Falun in February and March next year. The Swedish government confirmed at the same time that it is examining the legal basis for such a move, TV 2 reports.
What to watch
World Cup races in Nordic disciplines are scheduled at Lillehammer and in Trondheim well before the Holmenkollen events on 13 and 14 March next year. Watch whether the Norwegian government adjusts the athlete exemption before those dates, and whether Sweden reaches a conclusion on its own legal footing first.
