The Ministry of Culture of Estonia has sent an official letter to the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) stating that athletes from Russia and Belarus will not be allowed to participate in competitions on Estonian territory. The document, the text of which was published by the Estonian public broadcaster ERR Sport, reflects the resolute stance of the country's government, which has maintained a course since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine to exclude Russian and Belarusian athletes from international events held on Estonian soil.

Context: FIS Relaxed Restrictions in September 2026

Tallinn's decision comes against the background of changes made by FIS to the regulations governing the admission of Russian and Belarusian athletes. In early September 2026, the federation relaxed previously imposed restrictions: while candidates for neutral status previously underwent rigorous background and connection checks, they are now only required to confirm their neutral status. In addition, the restriction on athletes associated with security structures — specifically mentioning Moscow football clubs CSKA and Dynamo — was lifted. In early November, FIS updated the list of athletes granted neutral status for the upcoming winter season. The list includes five-time Olympic medalist and Russian skier Denis Spitsov, while Russia's most famous skier, Alexander Bolshunov, was not granted status.

Which Competitions Will Be Affected by the Ban

In the upcoming 2026/27 winter season, Estonia will not host a Cross-Country World Cup stage. However, two major international tournaments are scheduled in the country: the FIS Nordic Junior and U23 World Ski Championships will take place in Otepää from January 18 to 24, 2027, and the Biathlon World Championships will be held in February at the Tehvandi Sports Center skiing stadium. These very events are, in essence, the target of the Estonian Ministry of Culture's position: the admission of Russian and Belarusian participants to them on Estonian territory is ruled out, according to the agency.

Tallinn's Stance: From Visa Regime to Sports Diplomacy

In its letter to the FIS, the Ministry of Culture recalled that Estonia "has strongly condemned Russia's aggressive war against Ukraine from its very beginning" and that the government, the ministry, and the Estonian Olympic Committee share a unified position: Russian and Belarusian athletes and teams should not participate in international competitions until the end of the war. The agency emphasized that Estonia is among the states most actively supporting Ukraine and that admitting athletes from Russia and Belarus to starts in Estonia "would contradict this position and give Russia and Belarus the opportunity to use media coverage of the competitions for propaganda purposes."

Tallinn also referred to restrictive measures already in force: on March 10, 2022, the Estonian government stopped issuing tourist visas to citizens of Russia and Belarus, and from August 18 of that year, Russian citizens who received an Estonian tourist visa, including for participation in sports or cultural events, were banned from entering the country. Thus, the sports ban fits into a broader system of restrictions operating at the state level.

Call for Solidarity and Background Reaction

In the concluding part of the letter, the Estonian Ministry of Culture appealed to all event organizers to "show full solidarity with Ukraine and condemn Russian aggression." Thus, Tallinn is effectively raising the question for the FIS and national federations of how to reconcile the global admission of neutral athletes with the sovereign right of the host state to determine the composition of participants on its territory. At the time of publication, no official response from the FIS to the Estonian agency's letter had been published.