• Move by Norway ‘a further tightening’ of current rules

• Russians ‘have no business’ in Finland, says minister

Norway’s government announced that it would prevent Russian and Belarusian professional athletes from coming to Norway to compete, hours after neighbouring Finland announced a similar move.

The government said it intended to prevent athletes from these countries coming to Norway as long as the war in Ukraine continues. In a statement, it noted that while Norway already had strict rules for visas for Russian and Belarusian citizens, recent “relaxations introduced by international sports federations” meant that more athletes and support staff from the two countries may come to the Scandinavian nation to compete.