--- title: "Finland Ready to Close Schengen for Russian Athletes Unless Moscow Stops the War" description: "Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen stated that Helsinki is preparing legal steps to restrict the entry of Russian athletes into the country and the entire Schengen Area unless Moscow stops the war against Ukraine." date: 2026-11-01T19:16:47.384Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/finland-ready-to-close-schengen-for-russian-athletes tags: [finland, schengen, russia, sports, ukraine-war, diplomacy] author: "Alexander Buran" publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Finland Ready to Close Schengen for Russian Athletes Unless Moscow Stops the War ![Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen with a serious expression at an official event](https://xab.info/media/2026/11/01/finlyandiya-gotova-zakryt-shengen-dlya-rossiyskikh-sportsmenov/finlyandiya-gotova-zakryt-shengen-dlya-rossiyskikh-sportsmenov-1.webp) ## Key Points - Finland is preparing legal steps to restrict the entry of Russian athletes into the country. - Helsinki intends to extend the restriction to the entire Schengen Area via the EU Foreign Affairs Council. - The Finnish Foreign Ministry initiative is tied to the continuation of Russia's war against Ukraine and is targeted for 2027. - The statement came amid a CAS verdict obliging the IIHF to admit Russian national teams to tournaments. Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen has stated that Russian athletes could be deprived of the right to enter the country, and under certain conditions, the entire Schengen Area as well, unless Moscow halts its aggression against Ukraine. She announced this on her social media account on X, as cited by RBC-Ukraine. According to the minister, Helsinki views restricting access for Russian athletes as a pressure tool tied to the ongoing military conflict in Ukraine. ### Helsinki's Legal Steps According to the media, the Finnish government is preparing concrete legal steps aimed at blocking the entry of Russians into the country. "If Russia continues its aggressive war, Russian athletes will not be welcome in Finland next year. I will promote the necessary actions in the coming days," Valtonen stressed. Thus, the initiative has moved past the declaration stage and, according to the minister, is transitioning into the preparation of practical mechanisms. ### Expanding Restrictions to the Entire Schengen Area Finland intends not to limit itself to national measures, but to extend the corresponding ban to all Schengen Agreement member states. "At the Foreign Affairs Council meeting, I will inform my EU colleagues that we will restrict the access of Russian athletes to the entire Schengen Area. The Commission is dealing with this matter," the head of Finnish diplomacy noted. According to Life.ru, back in October, Valtonen appealed to her European Union colleagues with a proposal to tighten entry rules for Russian athletes, and the initiative itself, according to her, is aimed at 2027. ### Context: CAS Verdict on Ice Hockey The statement came against the backdrop of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruling in Lausanne, which sided with Russia and obliged the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) to admit Russian national teams to tournaments. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha harshly condemned this verdict, stating that allowing Russian hockey players would "stain sport with the blood of Ukrainians" and called for the immediate cancellation of the decision. In response, the Ice Hockey Federation of Ukraine is preparing a note of protest, initiating urgent negotiations with IIHF, and assessing the possibility of boycotting future world championships involving Russia. ### What Tournaments Might Be Affected by the New Measures The head of Finnish diplomacy did not specify the exact list of sporting events that will be affected by the new restrictions. At the same time, according to Life.ru, Tampere will host the World Figure Skating Championships from March 17 to 21, 2027, and Finland will act as one of the co-organizers of the Women's European Basketball Championship, with matches to be held in Espoo among other cities. Meanwhile, as national ski federation head Sirpa Korkatti stated on October 29, Finland previously agreed to allow Russian skiers to compete in international competitions on its territory, which creates additional context for the new Foreign Ministry initiative. ## Fact-Check & Sources - [Финляндия хочет закрыть Шенген для спортсменов из РФ из-за войны в Украине, - глава МИД](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/finlyandiya-hoche-zakriti-shengen-sportsmeniv-1793558350.html) - Primary source: Elina Valtonen's statements on X regarding the preparation of legal steps, restricting entry to Finland, and extending it to Schengen, as well as the context of the CAS verdict and Ukraine's reaction. - [Финляндия хочет закрыть российским спортсменам въезд во весь Шенген в 2027 году](https://life.ru/p/finlyandiya-hochet-zakryt-rossiyskim-sportsmenam-vezd-vo-ves-shengen-v-2027-godu) - Complements the chronology (2027, appeal to the EU in October) and the list of potential tournaments (World Figure Skating Championships in Tampere on 17–21.03.2027, Women's EuroBasket in Espoo), as well as the previous agreement on Russian skiers (S. Korkatti statement on 29.10). ## FAQ ### What exactly did the Finnish Foreign Minister state? Elina Valtonen stated that if Russia continues the war, Russian athletes will not be welcome in Finland next year, and that she will promote necessary actions in the coming days. ### Will the restriction apply only to Finland? No. Finland intends to extend the restriction to the entire Schengen Area; Valtonen stated she will raise the issue at the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting, and the European Commission, according to her, is already handling the matter. ### What tournaments might be affected by the new measures? The exact list is not specified. Potential events include the World Figure Skating Championships in Tampere (March 17–21, 2027) and Women's European Basketball Championship matches in Espoo.