Valuyev accuses EU of preparing war through restrictions on Russian athletes

Accusations against European states

Nikolai Valuyev, a deputy in the State Duma of the Russian Federation and former world boxing champion, publicly accused European Union countries of aggressive intentions. According to him, all EU member states are directly involved in preparing a military conflict against Russia.

These statements were made in an interview with the Russian propagandistic news service "Vesti".

Reason for aggressive statements

The catalyst for such statements was the situation surrounding the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships. Valuyev expressed outrage over the decision by the Netherlands not to allow representatives of the Russian national team to participate in the competition. The deputy characterised this action as a component of the overall war against Russia.

In addition, he expressed dissatisfaction that not all sports federations and countries are adhering to the recommendations of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) regarding the admission of athletes from Russia to international tournaments.

Position on visa restrictions

Commenting on the situation, Valuyev emphasised that the refusal to issue a visa is an exclusively political decision that goes beyond the powers of sports organisations.

«100% країн ЄС, які сьогодні беруть безпосередню участь — і не приховують цього — у підготовці війни з Росією. Що ви хотіли щодо спортсменів? А не надати візу — це вже політичне рішення. Тобто, з одного боку, навіть якщо спортивні організації — якийсь МОК чи міжнародна федерація — дали дозвіл, то тут вони вже не в змозі вплинути — нібито. І все» (100% of EU countries are directly involved today — and do not hide this — in preparing war with Russia. What did you expect regarding athletes? And not issuing a visa is already a political decision. That is, on the one hand, even if sports organisations — some IOC or international federation — gave permission, then here they are already unable to influence — apparently. And that's it), Valuyev said.