Soviet skier: One should drop serious bomb on London for Russian athletes to return

Yelena Valbe, President of the Russian Cross-Country Skiing Federation, believes that Russia should drop a "serious bomb on the center of London." This is how she answered the question of what should happen for Russian athletes to be allowed to participate in the Olympics and all other competitions under their own flag and anthem.

Russia has been fighting with the outside world for centuries, Valbe noted. Russia has never been loved, she believes.

"They always stand with a shank behind their back," Yelena Valbe, Soviet and Russian skier added pointing out that she admired Russia's strength and power that irritates the entire world.

"I'm going to say things that should never be said. If we had dropped some serious bomb on the center of London, everything would have already ended and we would have been allowed everywhere," she added.

Russian athletes will still be allowed to compete, she added. However, Valbe revised her forecast for Russian athletes to return to international competitions after the end of the special military operation in Ukraine.

"Now I understand that even after the end of the special operation, nothing will happen quickly. It will take years to return to the international arena," she concluded.

Russian TV presenter, journalist and sports commentator Dmitry Guberniev criticised Elena Vyalbe for her remarks.

Commenting on her statement, he quoted a line from "The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish" by Russian poet Alexander Pushkin.

"A week passed, then another. The old woman grew madder than ever. She wants to drop a bomb on London-grad, but maybe she should drop it on Trondheim?" the journalist wrote. Norway is a higher priority target for Valbe, he added.

State Duma deputy, former world boxing champion Nikolai Valuev did not like the idea of ​​the Skiing Federation president. He also said that Yelena Valbe's suggestion to bomb London was emotional.

"This is not a case for any kind of press scrutiny," Nikolai Valuev said.

Details

Yelena Valeryevna Välbe (born 20 April 1968) is a Russian former cross-country skier. She won a record 14 gold medals (5 in relays) at the FIS World Championships, including all five golds in the 1997 edition. She also won three Olympic gold medals (all in relays) and four bronze medals in various Winter Olympic Games as well as four World Cup Crystal Globes. In 2004, she lost when she ran for president of the Russian Ski Racing Federation. Välbe was later elected President of the Russian Cross-Country Ski Association and has been in that position since 2010, and manager of the Russian National Cross-Country Team since 2012.