Finland pushes for national ban on Russian athletes entering country

Valtonen told Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat that the government would advance the measure at the national level, adding that details of specific steps would be announced later this week.

Earlier, she wrote on US social media platform X that "if Russia continues its war of aggression, Russian athletes will not be welcome in Finland next year."

"At the October Foreign Affairs Council meeting, I wrote to my EU counterparts urging them to restrict Russian athletes’ access to the entire Schengen area. The European Commission is working on the matter," she added.

Valtonen said legislative amendments would not be necessary, as other measures would be sufficient to implement the restrictions.

The proposed measures would also cover athletes competing without national symbols, rather than only those representing their national teams.

“As far as, for example, visa legislation is concerned, it is tied to citizenship, not to the symbols under which someone participates,” Valtonen said.

Under current visa rules, athletes can enter Finland in certain circumstances on employment-related grounds, provided they meet the relevant requirements.

Russian cross-country skiers are reportedly expected to arrive in Ruka at the end of November to compete in a leg of the Cross-Country Skiing World Cup.

Russian ice hockey players are also due to arrive in Finland next week for NHL games.