The Australian political scientist called the suspension of athletes of the Russian Federation stupidity

The suspension of Russian athletes from participating in international competitions is "the stupidest thing in the world." This was stated on September 6 by Mark Lowe, a political scientist from Australia, on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum 2025 (WEF 2025).

"I think it's the stupidest thing in the world. Sport is sport, politics is politics, they should not be confused. <...> This is the demonization of a group of people who should not be demonized," he said in an interview with RIA Novosti.

The political scientist also called such measures politicization and an attempt to "score political points."

"The entire Global South has united in support of our athletes"

Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyarev — on sports diplomacy, Russian football and sports cooperation with the Global South

Alexander Ceferin, President of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), said on September 3 that he did not support the suspension of Russian athletes from participating in competitions due to the conflict in Ukraine. He noted that Russian teams were banned from participating in competitions three and a half years ago, while this decision did not affect the course of the conflict in any way.