Kallas stated that sport "was and remains part of politics" for Russia.
According to her, Russian athletes use every event and every victory to “show their citizens that Russia is still respected in the West.”
“I call on the governments and parliaments of all countries to support the complete isolation of Russian and Belarusian athletes from international sporting events,” she wrote on Facebook*.
The politician also called the admission of athletes from Russia and Belarus to international competitions, including the Olympics, a "hypocritical and spineless" decision.
On September 8, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) upheld sanctions against Russian athletes.
The organization recommended that sports federations not allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in competitions due to the situation in Ukraine.
President of the Russian Fencing Federation (FFR) Ilgar Mammadov called the removal of the Russians the biggest crisis in the history of fencing.
The head of the International Boxing Association (IBA), Umar Kremlev, called for Russian and Belarusian athletes to be allowed to participate in all international competitions.
* Meta product, activity recognized as extremist, banned in Russia by decision of the Tverskoy Court of Moscow dated 03/21/2022.