Rewriting Russian Gymnastics

T his, my second graphic, needs quite a bit of tweaking that I don’t have time to do at present. For example, the sport as a whole should sit centre top. There needs to be a depiction of grass roots of the sport, including the privately run, participatory sector, as well as the local, regional and national teams as seniors and juniors. I have a question : do CSKA, Dynamo etc even exist under these names today? The gyms have been refurbished and, in line with the World Gymnastics rules for the past years, show no evidence of government or army support. This is a touch of airbrushing, I think, as Russia couldn’t simply close those enormous organisations down, and still have a functioning gymnastics machine … could they? The Premiere League, Titans, social media income and other TV shows generate income for the gymnasts and must provide a return on state ànd or corporate investment , in some way. The streaming platforms for gymnastics are run directly by the regions; Match TV is by far th...

I've been playing with Copilot for some of my blog content, with varying degrees of success.  I like infographics but still haven't got the knack of them.  But I thought, in view of the unprecedented nature of the various lockdowns, bans and sanctions going on - effectively the isolation of Russia from world gymnastics - that it would be worth recording some of what I have observed happening in terms of the sport's management and survival.  There are lots of things that need to be altered.  Please do comment.  Here is the first infographic, along with a short commentary by me.  There are two infographics, I'll put them in separate posts. I asked Copilot to produce a graphic mapping Russia’s development of gymnastics since the IOC/World Gymnastics ‘lockdown’, using data I provided to them. Sports is an ever-growing sector of the world economy, and during the ban Russia has exploited - and, hopefully, improved its popularity by developing television and live ...

When a new head coach takes on one of the most influential roles in artistic gymnastics, it is natural to ask what values and principles guide their leadership. In Dmitri Andreev’s case, most of what we know comes not from personal essays or political statements, but from interviews, press conferences, and official announcements related to his work in the sport.   Understanding his values means paying attention to how he talks about athletes, coaching, leadership, and the future of Russian gymnastics. Several consistent themes emerge from his public comments. Collective Effort Over Individual Glory Andreev regularly presents gymnastics as a collective endeavour rather than a platform for individual achievement. When discussing his appointment as head coach, he emphasised the importance of bringing together athletes, coaches, and support staff to work towards shared goals. He also described leadership in terms of responsibility rather than authority. This suggests a value system cen...

The Ukrainian Gymnastics Federation has issued an open letter to the UEG, challenging the process by which sanctions against Russian and Belarusian gymnasts were lifted. Their criticism is not without foundation. The UEG moved with striking speed to align itself with the FIG’s decision, and the FIG itself was largely following the lead of World Aquatics and other federations that had already stepped back from their bans. Those bodies, in turn, were responding to the broad direction of an IOC announcement encouraging the return of junior athletes to international competition. What is clear is that the UEG had little or no time to conduct the kind of stakeholder analysis that the Council of Europe recommends before major governance decisions. The Ukrainians argue that this omission matters: the voices of affected athletes, federations, and national bodies were not meaningfully considered. They are now calling on the UEG Congress, scheduled for 29 June, to reverse the decision and reinsta...

An interview by Sergei Lisin for Sports Express Google translate. "The young    gymnasts have more experience now." Listunova on preparing for the European Championships qualifiers. Gymnast Listunova spoke about her preparations for the European Championships qualifiers. Sergei Lisin  The Olympic champion is ready to return to the international arena after World Gymnastics lifted sanctions. On May 18, World Gymnastics reinstated Russia's flag at international competitions. This immediately opened the door for Viktoria Listunova to compete at the World Challenge Cup and World Championships, which will be held in the Netherlands this fall. However, eligibility for the continental championship remained in question, with European Gymnastics expected to make a decision. She didn't have to wait long—on the morning of May 24, news broke that the European federation had also accepted Russian athletes under the flag. For Viktoria, this means that she, the last Russian European...

Russia’s sporting sanctions date back to 2015, when investigations into state-sponsored doping led to widespread bans across international competitions. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) imposed restrictions that prevented Russian athletes from competing at the 2016 and 2020 Olympics under their national flag or anthem - with the exception of the gymnasts, whose sport is clean and free from doping. Then, in 2022 Russia began a war with Ukraine that is continuing to today.  Sanctions were levied across all sectors of society, including individuals, corporations and - controversially - sport and culture.  In Olympic sport, the IOC (International Olympic Committee) decided that the decision to ban Russia from international competitions should be made by sporting federations, such as the FIG (Federation Internationale de Gymnastique).  Remnants of the sanctions dating back to the discovery of state doping were still in operation...

A Quiet Moment on the Podium Sofiia Krainska is a young Ukrainian gymnast who won a silver medal at the 2026 European Championships. Instead of celebrating, she covered her face with her hands while standing on the podium. The photo shows a calm, private reaction rather than a public celebration. A Russian gymnast had won the gold medal, and Sofia had to listen to the Russian anthem, and watch the Russian flag rise as she stood in front of the audience. The competition is the European Championships of Rhythmic Gymnastics, both junior and senior, and it's the first time that the Russian anthem has been played in a gymnastics arena since the beginning of Russia's war with Ukraine.  Ukraine is expected to continue to protest against the raising of the Russian flag, and playing of the Russian anthem, in forthcoming competitions.  Ukraine want a a peace agreement and for Russia to stop bombing their homes. Sport and the Wider World For some athletes, competitions are affected by e...

The decision by World Gymnastics, and European Gymnastics, to lift restrictions on Russian athletes has triggered a wave of emotion and optimism across Russia’s gymnastics community. After years of competing under neutral status, the return of the flag and anthem has been hailed as a symbolic victory—one that restores national pride and renews motivation among athletes and coaches alike.   Pride and Determination Alexei Nemov, one of Russia’s most decorated gymnasts, expressed his joy at the restoration of national symbols: ‘I am very glad that we got back the flag ànd the anthem.  But we need to go there and reinforce this with good results on the podium.  Performing under the flag of one’s country gives confidence, but the flag ànd anthem alone will not give you medals.  The most important thing is quality preparation for international competitions by each individual gymnast.’ Nemov’s statement captures the balance between patriotism and professionalism—recognizing...

People often say that sport and politics don’t mix, and the situation with Russia shows why. First, its athletes were banned from competing in the Olympics. Now, they have been allowed back in. We have to try to think - which is right? The real problem in the world right now is war, not sport. Some leaders think fighting is the only way to solve things. And the people who run the Olympics think that banning countries will somehow stop wars. It hasn’t worked. When Russia was not allowed to compete, gymnastics felt different. Some people thought it was less exciting. Now the Russian gymnasts are coming back, and everyone is wondering how they will manage. Can they get ready in time for the Olympics? The IOC — the organisation that runs the Olympics — first banned Russia and is now letting them return. Other sports groups are following their lead. Their rules are very strict and written in legal language. They are not talking about feelings or fairness, only about laws. There is also a...

  Sport is not the problem, world politics is.   Put another way, speaking as a feminist, only men could believe that the answer to any problem is to bomb, shoot, kill and maim.   And, speaking as a sports afficionado, only the IOC could believe that isolating nations from the Olympic mission of peace and friendship might solve the problem of war.   Is sport ‘war without the shooting’?      Politics and sport do not mix, that’s for sure.   Am I the only one who found gymnastics without the Russkies just a little bit flat and boring?     Now we have them back and have to contemplate how their gymnasts will cope in a new age.   Can they revive their motivation and get back in time to compete as a team at the Olympics?     The IOC started the sanction, and now it’s attempting to stop it.   They are the ones who hold the power, and their approach is mirrored by the sporting federations who are gradually letting Ru...