The key facts

  • The Swedish Ski Association has asked the Foreign Ministry to consider restricting visas for Russian skiers ahead of the 2027 World Championships in Falun
  • Migration Minister Johan Forssell said work is underway on legal grounds for refusing entry to Russians and Belarusians
  • FIS admitted Russians in a neutral status following the CAS decision; neutral status was granted, among others, to Savely Korostelev and Darya Nepryaeva

The Swedish side advocates restricting entry

The Swedish Ski Association, together with the Swedish Sports Confederation, intends to achieve a ban on issuing visas to Russian athletes for participation in the 2027 World Championships. This was reported by RIA Novosti, citing the Swedish television company SVT. According to the source, the association's secretary general Pernilla Bunde asked the Swedish Sports Confederation (RF) to raise the issue of restricting the entry of Russians before the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Position of the migration ministry

Sweden's Minister for Migration Johan Forssell said the agency continues to work on developing legal grounds for refusing entry to Russian and Belarusian skiers.

Context: admission of Russians and FIS decisions

The 2027 World Championships in Nordic skiing will be held in Falun from February 24 to March 7, 2027. It became known on September 2, 2026 that FIS had decided to admit Russian athletes in a neutral status. Russian skiers have been suspended from international competitions since 2022; in October 2025, FIS extended the suspension. On December 2, the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled the decision unlawful, after which FIS allowed Russians to apply for neutral status.

Neutral status and the IOC position

Neutral status was granted to Savely Korostelev and Darya Nepryaeva, who competed in World Cup stages; it was previously reported that five Russian skiers had received neutral status. In addition, on July 7, the International Olympic Committee temporarily lifted the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee and recommended that all federations remove restrictions on Russian athletes, noting that previously issued recommendations were no longer relevant.