The Estonian Ministry of Culture has sent an official letter to the International Ski Federation (FIS), warning that Russian and Belarusian athletes will not be able to compete in tournaments held on its territory.
This is reported by ERR.
The statement says that in early September, FIS eased sanctions against athletes from the Russian Federation and Belarus. Restrictions were also lifted for athletes associated with security forces, in particular with the Moscow football clubs “CSKA” and “Dynamo”. Earlier this week, FIS also updated the list of neutral athletes. Five-time Olympic medalist, Russian skier Denis Spitsov, was added to it.
The Estonian Ministry of Culture has explained that the country will not host a World Cup ski race in the upcoming winter season. However, the World Junior and U23 Ski Championships will be held in the Estonian city of Otepää from January 18 to 24, and the Biathlon World Championships will be held in February at the ski stadium of the Tehvandi Sports Center.
The statement to FIS states that Estonia condemns the Russian Federationʼs war in Ukraine, and therefore Russian and Belarusian athletes should not participate in international sports competitions until the war ends, including on the territory of Estonia.
They emphasize that participation in such competitions will allow the Russian Federation and Belarus to cover the competitions in international media.
The statement also reminds that on March 10, 2022, the Estonian government stopped issuing tourist visas to citizens of Russia and Belarus. Since August 18 of the same year, Russians who received a tourist visa to Estonia, including to participate in sports competitions or cultural events, have been banned from entering the country.
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