Rewriting Russian Gymnastics

Nagorny ‘one of the most odious characters in sport’ as FIG issues neutral status to gymnasts from Russia. I take issue with his point on Melnikova training at CSKA - the gymnasts generally join their clubs as children and there isn’t much choice.  Deliberately turning her back on CSKA because of its military connections would be a risky thing to do in Putin’s Russia.   https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/mar/31/gymnastics-embrace-of-russians-highlights-neutrality-blurred-lines?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

 Via VK.com Judge Dmitry Andreev, gymnast Ranel Safiullin and doctor Grigory Marsov received neutral status. Today, FIG updated the list of athletes and staff who received neutral status. Information about athletes from rhythmic gymnastics also appeared.

All Russian gymnasts who received neutral status intend to promptly fly to Novosibirsk after the end of the World Cup stage in Qatar to take part in the Russian Cup. This was reported to TASS by the senior coach of the Russian national team Valentina Rodionenko. In addition to Melnikova, the list of Russian participants in the April stages of the World Cup in artistic gymnastics includes Kirill Prokopyev, Vladislav Polyashov, Ilya Zaika, Grigory Klimentyev, Alena Glotova and Zlata Osokina. 💬"All our athletes plan to compete in the Russian Cup in Novosibirsk after participating in the World Cup stages," Rodionenko said. "The World Cup stage in Qatar will end on April 19, the official training in Novosibirsk is scheduled for April 22. When we declared gymnasts for the World Cup stages, the athletes all said that the Russian Cup was a priority start for them. And they are doing the right thing, because a lot will depend on the performance in Novosibirsk." 📝tass.ru/sp...

The new IOC President is a woman, and from Africa, Mrs Kirsty Coventry! The FIG President Watanabe received 4 votes and Britain’s Sebastian Coe 8. https://www.theguardian.com/sport/live/2025/mar/20/ioc-presidential-elections-olympics-sebastian-coe-juan-antonio-samaranch-jr-live?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Russian coach Vera Kiryashova has been invited as a judge to the April stage of the Artistic Gymnastics World Cup, which will be held in Croatia. Kiryashova told TASS about this. 💬"The first tournament I plan to work at after a long break will be held in Croatia in a month," Kiryashova said. "After that, I'm going to go to Qatar. I don't have any information yet whether I'll be the only judge from Russia at these tournaments." The Artistic Gymnastics World Cup stage will be held in Osijek, Croatia, from April 11 to 13, and Doha will host the world stage a week later. Kiryashova is one of three Russian judges who received neutral status from the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) in early March, which gives Russians and Belarusians the right to work at tournaments under the auspices of FIG. Elena Redyanova and Irina Savosina also have neutral status. She continues to work as part of the judging panels at international tournaments, as represented b...

From Match TV via VK.com.  Google translate Russian gymnast Daniil Marinov said on Match TV that he felt the willingness of the President of the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) Morinari Watanabe to return Russian athletes to international competitions. On Monday, Watanabe is in Novogorsk with members of the Russian national artistic and rhythmic gymnastics teams. The head of FIG is also a candidate for the post of President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). 📅 We talked about the prospects for 2028, about the Olympics. What are the chances of Russia competing in them as its own country and power without any neutral flags. To which he replied that this will happen when everything calms down. It will happen without any problems. Unfortunately, there are no specifics. ⛔At the meeting with Watanabe, the conversation was about neutral statuses and how to obtain them, about refusals. Why, for example, was our star Vika Listunova refused. She was refused because of a...

Interview with coach Marina Styazhkina from  https://www.fontanka.ru/2025/03/10/75203060/ Google translate 16-year-old Zlata Osokina from Gatchina was among 12 Russian gymnasts admitted to international competitions. What does this mean for the athlete, why do coaches not monitor their charges' social networks, and is it really possible to raise a national team-level gymnast in Russia without investing a ruble? Fontanka's sports department spoke with Zlata's coach Marina Styazhkina about this and more. — How did you receive the news about Zlata receiving neutral status? — We were very happy, because she is now in the main team preparing for the World Cup stage, which will begin on April 8 in Croatia, and then straight to Qatar, for the next stage. — How is the procedure for obtaining neutral status going now? — In December, we signed the papers, filled out the questionnaires, then they were checked for two months. My application is still under consideration, I also submitte...

Sport is the low hanging fruit of world politics. The IOC ban on Russian athletes has kept Russian soft influence to a minimum over past years. I understand the emotion.    For example, how could Nagorny (a Russian World and Olympic champion) compete alongside Ukrainian rivals when he has openly endorsed the war, and even encouraged his Russian team mates to join up and take part in the military action? In this video  FIG President Watanabe is welcomed to Round Lake, Russia’s national training centre for gymnastics, by Russian head coach Andrei Rodionenko and the aforementioned Nikita Nagorny.    Rodionenko is a long-serving member of the international gymnastics community.    He has been head coach of Soviet, Australian, Canadian and, now, the Russian teams. Watanabe is campaigning for votes in his quest to be voted IOC President.    That’s like the Prime Minister of the UK putting himself forward as Head of NATO - it’s a big step.  ...

 VK.com.  Google translate ✅I'm betting on stability and purity Vladislav, when did you start training this year? 🎙 "I started training in January." What is your current training regimen? How often do you come to the "Ozero Krugloe" base and train with the national team? 🎙 "We are currently preparing for the Russian Cup in full mode. I don't often come to "Ozero Krugloe" - I came to qualify for the BRICS Games, and I did all my preparation for the games there." Have you already started preparing for the Russian Cup? 🎙 "Yes, I am preparing in full mode. I will be competing on two apparatuses - pommel horse and parallel bars. According to the new rules, the horizontal bar is very weak for me - there is no point in going on it. It will be difficult to get more complicated on it, since I need elements that I have been studying for a long time, but have never mastered." Have you already managed to adjust the combinations to the ne...

 Interview via VK.com, Google translate: David, when did you start training this year? 🎙 "I started training in early February." What is your current training regimen? How often do you come to the Ozero Krugloe base and train with the national team? 🎙 "So far, my regimen is more like physical education, mostly general exercises. I've been at the training camp since February 16, training with the team, but not according to the national team's plan yet." Have you already started preparing for the Russian Cup? 🎙 "Yes, that's actually what I'm doing now — preparing for the Russian Cup. I hope that I'll have time to get on the platform in top shape." Have you already managed to adjust your combinations to the new rules? 🎙 "My combinations haven't changed much because of the new rules. The only thing that needs to be changed is one element on the pommel horse." How many apparatuses are you planning to do in Novosibirsk? 🎙 ...

  A fabulous short interview via VK.com.  Google translates. 🎵 "End of the year to Rihanna? Possibly!": Angelina Melnikova on plans to update the program Angelina, when did you start training this year? 🎙 "I started training in January." What is your current training regimen? How often do you come to the Ozero Krugloe base? 🎙 "We have training camps every month at the base, so I train with the national team." Have you already started preparing for the Russian Cup? 🎙 "I am currently in recovery mode and am gradually moving to preparatory mode as part of my preparation for the Russian Cup, which will take place in April in Novosibirsk." Have you already managed to adjust your combinations to the new rules? 🎙 "As for the new rules: practically nothing has changed for us, so I didn't have to change my programs. However, there is an interesting innovation on the vault. Girls who perform jumps of different structures will be awarded a 0.2...

Viktoria Listunova has reported a serious injury - an Achilles tear. We wish Viktoria the very best as she rehabs and recovers.  

 Google translate via TASS The Russian Gymnastics Federation (RGF) continues to wait for a response from the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) regarding the neutral status of Russian athletes. This was told to journalists by the First Vice President of the Russian Gymnastics Federation Vasily Titov. 💬"Due to the sensitivity of this process, I cannot say much, we have submitted an application for 100 people to receive neutral status, now we are waiting for an answer," Titov said. "Trampoline gymnasts will be the first to go to the World Cup in Baku, I hope that artistic and rhythmic gymnasts will also have this opportunity. Due to sanctions, we were suspended from FIG tournaments for a long time, but there was still international practice. Our teams are very ready." From February 22 to 23, Baku will host the first stage of the Trampoline World Cup in 2025. At the end of last week, athletes Arina Kalyandra, Alexandra Lyamina, Sergey Finchenko, Maxim Didenko a...

Happy 45th birthday to Elena Produnova, who rescued a silver medal for the Russian team at the 2000 Olympics.  Elena was competing with a broken foot and withdrew from the AA but could otherwise have been the Olympic AA champion!   Elena demonstrates how it’s possible to combine original and dynamic work with incredible musicality and great line and posture.  She was ahead of her time. https://youtu.be/vm5H31SN4Og

 A link -  http://youtube.com/post/UgkxGZUQG6X2sXvPmpRukI4ufFdQBV63tke7?si=DY3PREJ2Vgg8MX0H

World and European medallist Elena Eremina has relocated to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where she has taken up a long-term coaching appointment. Good luck, Elena!  

If I find a link to any live streaming, I will post on my Facebook.   This is good news for Viktoria, an Olympic and European champion who has been unable to compete at the highest level for more than two years because of the IOC ban on Russia, and because of injury.   Viktoria is one of the gymnasts who is applying for neutral status.  She will have been returned to the international testing bank for anti-doping, but I don’t know when there will be a final decision on her status. Both Viktoria and Angelina travelled to Italy in the last few weeks - they spent time with Russian/Italian coach Anton Stolyar - but Angelina has now returned to train at Round Lake.  Not sure if this has any significance.  But it is really great to have Viktoria back in competitions, and visible.  Good luck to her whatever her plans.   https://youtu.be/oUUnTNdNyDg?si=lpsAcjqpapX_6qng UPDATE - Photos of Vika Listunova with Kayla Nemours and her Italian team this week.  V...

Sports Express reports (Google translate) ‘Russian gymnasts whose applications were sent to the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) to obtain neutral status have begun receiving notifications about their transfer to the international registered testing pool, a source in the Russian national team told SE. Being in such a pool is a mandatory condition for obtaining neutral status. Of the 3,000 francs that must be paid for reviewing each athlete's application, 1,500 go to anti-doping tests, for which the athlete must be included in the international pool.’ https://www.sport-express.ru/artistic-gymnastics/news/rossiyskih-gimnastov-nachali-perevodit-v-mezhdunarodnyy-pul-testirovaniya-2293100/

Match TV reports on a conversation with the Russian head coach.  Seems a bit confused?  Google translate. ‘Some representatives of the Russian national team, primarily the athletes' personal coaches, have decided to refuse to apply for neutral status to participate in international competitions, Valentina Rodionenko, senior coach of the Russian national artistic gymnastics team, told Match TV. Russian gymnasts have the right to participate in competitions under the auspices of the FIG as neutrals from January 1, 2024. In early January, Vasily Titov, First Vice President of the Russian Gymnastics Federation (RGF), told Match TV that applications by Russian athletes to receive neutral status to participate in the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) tournaments were "in process". The information about the inclusion of athletes in the testing pool was commented on by Valentina Rodionenko, senior coach of the Russian national artistic gymnastics team. 💬 This is the firs...

 Google translate from VK.com -  Match TV talked to Victoria Listunova about the Olympic summer without participating in the Games, recovery, and memories of Tokyo three years later. We are copying several fragments, and the full interview is available on the Match TV website ❓ Victoria, how are you feeling? How was your recovery from the injury? Was it an old problem or some kind of force majeure? 💬 The injury may have been cumulative, it was not immediately revealed, I am now trying to train in the same volume as before. I am restoring my program. It took a long time for rehabilitation. From April until mid-summer, I was completely without loads, so that the injury would heal and never bother me again. But it is not like I was resting all summer. I was constantly present at the training camps, went through all the recovery procedures. At first there was complete rest, then I trained as much as possible without pain. So there were trainings, but in a minimal mode. In the sum...

Sports Express says that nine female gymnasts from Russia have applied for neutral status to compete in international competitions later this year.  This includes Angelina Melnikova and Viktoria Listunova. The applications go to the FIG and can take up to about 60 days to process.  We probably won’t hear any news until April, then.

Valentina Rodionenko speaks to TASS.  Google translate - Tokyo Olympic participant Elena Gerasimova has decided to end her career in the Russian national artistic gymnastics team. This was reported to TASS by the senior coach of the national team Valentina Rodionenko. "Lena Gerasimova has decided to end her sports career, but she wants to continue competing in student competitions," Rodionenko said. "The athlete has been plagued by injuries in recent years, which made it very difficult for her to endure the training loads that the members of the national team experience. Gerasimova is a very honest and very responsible person. That's why she came and said that she wants to end her career and compete only in student competitions." "I know how responsible and hardworking this girl is, so we suggested that she think about becoming a coach of the youth team on one of the apparatuses in the future. We will count on her. And now she works as a coach at the Anton ...

MAG Head coach Valery Alfosov has been speaking to TASS about Olympic Champions David Belyavski, Artur Dalaloyan and Denix Ablyazin.    All three remain on the national team (the reserve team) because they are still training, and hopefully plan to compete at the Russia Cup and the Russian Championships later this year. The gymnasts will remain on the roster, even if as reserves, for as long as they train and compete at these two events. The Russia Cup will take place in April this year, in Novosibirsk.  

Angelina Melnikova is currently in Italy, taking a break but also getting some training at one of the clubs there.  She has met up with Anton Stolyar, former Russian national bars coach who now lives and works in Italy. Angelina’s goals this year are to qualify (as a neutral individual) for the World Championships this autumn and, on a business level, to open a new gym in Russia.

It will be very difficult for Olympic champion in artistic gymnastics Vladislava Urazova, who underwent surgery on an injured knee in March, to return to her previous high level. This opinion was expressed to TASS by the athlete's coach Liliya Kazakova. On March 1, Urazova underwent surgery on her injured knee joint during training. 💬"Vlada was given nine months to recover from the knee surgery, but she is still in pain," Kazakova said. "Vlada must send pictures of her knee to doctors in Moscow, after which she will receive an answer. For now, she is not training and devoting all her time to her studies." "It will be very difficult for her to return to her previous level, especially since very strong young girls are growing up. It is difficult to give more precise forecasts, everything will become more or less clear when she resumes training," the TASS interlocutor added. Urazova is not on the list of candidates for the Russian national artistic gymna...

 Match TV reports: First Vice President of the Russian Gymnastics Federation Vasily Titov told Match TV that retired Olympic silver medalist Anastasia Ilyankova is working with young athletes at the Ozero Krugloe base. Ilyankova will turn 24 on January 12. In 2019, the gymnast became the European champion in the uneven bars, and in 2021, she won a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics on the same apparatus. ❓ How did you react to Anastasia's decision to end her career? 💬 Ending a career is a personal matter for every athlete. It's a shame she decided to end it, she's a very talented gymnast. She's very strong on the uneven bars, she's a talented person. Unfortunately, there were injuries. Despite the fact that Anastasia is ending her career, she continues to be a part of the national team, but is no longer a member of the national team. She works with young athletes at the Ozero Krugloe base. ❓ A coach? 💬 No, but she helps. ❓ And if she expresses a desire to become a...

Russian gymnast and World and Olympic champion Angelina Melnikova is applying for neutral status to be able to compete in international competition later this year. Angelina communicates via her Instagram page, and has recently been updating her vlog channel.  There are training videos, a look at the Voronin Cup, and injury news.   Very professional and you can use the translate function to provide English language captions.   https://m.youtube.com/@gelyamelnikova?

 The Russian MAG team have their first squad training at Round Lake, Moscow, beginning on 5th January.  Missing from the line up will be Daniel Marinov and Sergei Naidin, who are both recovering at home after shoulder surgery.  

Former Olympic and World Champion Nikita Nagorny spoke to TASS on the 23rd December.   Nagorny speaks for himself here, trashing the IOC/FIG ban on Russia’s participation in international competition and suggesting that world sport is running back to Russia with its tail between its legs, desperate for his country’s return to World and Olympic tournaments. Of course, I personally would like to have the Russian teams back - but only after peace has been restored!  I’ll be delighted if Melnikova, Listunova and their like can secure neutral status to compete as individuals, and I do think that the sport will be the brighter for their originality, technique and artistry.  But the world can do without Nagorny’s bullish pretence about the whole situation - which is all very sad and difficult for everyone.   I prefer the RGF’s official, calm and professional approach to Nagorny’s rather charmless blustering.  The fierce confidence that made Nagorny such an exciting gy...