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Ukraine calls on Europe to reinstate Russia ban

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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 reinstate the sanctions.

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