The Norwegian Cup’s decision to exclude the Russian and Belarusian teams from this year’s tournament drew sharp criticism from children’s organizations.

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– My immediate reaction is that it seems very unfortunate. Children are in no way guilty of this war, and should not be punished indirectly by imprisonment. It is possible to distinguish between adults and children here, says Monica Sydgård, head of Save the Children’s Norway programme.

On Wednesday, the Norwegian Cup decided to exclude all teams from Russia and Belarus from this year’s tournament, and with it back the line of the Norwegian Sports Confederation and the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

But: Teams participating in the Norwegian Cup have players aged 13 and over.

– Except for protecting children, I would think that this sends a very bad signal. They need to be able to keep their heads cool, and not get in the way of children seeing each other while playing. It affects children and young people in nonsensical ways. “We contacted the NIF and the Norwegian Cup, and asked for a solution so they can continue to participate,” said Sydgård.

SOS Children’s Villages took it a step further and called it “completely unacceptable” in NTB.

– These children must not grow up hating their neighbors, they must live together even after this conflict. If we punish children, we make this problem worse, SOS Desa Anak wrote in a statement to NTB.

– We submit to the NFF and NIF, who have decided this. That’s one thing, Norwegian Cup general Pål Trælvik told VG.

He stated that the Dana Cup in Denmark, as well as the major children’s and youth tournaments, had also made the same decision – and would have liked to see that it was possible to distinguish between children and adults in sports, but they found it difficult.

– The second is, if the Russian team lands on Norwegian soil, which at the moment looks impossible, how will we line up for this team? There could have been a lot of backlash, and they were also not responsible for what had happened, said Trælvik, and also pointed out the security aspect.

Sports President Berit Kjøll supports the Norwegian Cup decision.

– The Norwegian Cup is an international sporting event and will be covered by a sports council decision calling for the exclusion of Russian and Belarusian athletes, Kjøll wrote in an email to NTB.