Rewriting Russian Gymnastics

I’ve reached a time in my life when it’s more important to watch the birds and listen to my nephews and nieces laughing than it is to write about Russian gymnastics.  I  have a couple of ‘wrap ups’ in the pipeline but that’s all, folks. The Olympics just aren’t the Olympics without the Russians, at least for me.  I wish Russia would put their energy into great sport instead of military endeavours.  I’m no fan of the IOC and the Russian gymnasts did a lot of good for peace and friendship over about 70 years.  But Russia’s leaders are letting their people down.   I’ll continue to walk alongside Angelina Melnikova and will post occasional updates of her work and life on my RRG Facebook page.  She is remarkable.   I hope that Russia’s young gymnasts can find a way to continue what is essentially their livelihood, if necessary by moving overseas.  It would be great if some of them could study abroad. I’m unfollowing Nagorny.  He walked with a...

I’m supposed to be taking some time for my mental health, not writing blog posts about gymnastics.   It’s not only my mental health, but that of the whole gymnastics and sporting community.  You, my readers, know that the Court for the Arbitration of Sport has reassigned the bronze medal in the FX event at the Olympics.  We finally have the right finishing order, but the FIG is at huge fault here.  The appeals system went wrong in both its substance and its process, and before that the judges had failed, giving us inaccurate marks and unfair finishing orders.   The gymnasts, Jordan Chiles and Ana Barbosu, are suffering and instead of unbounded joy and pride they feel humiliation and confusion and embarrassment.  That the judges couldn’t get the medals in the right order first time (and that there’s still one out there, Sabrina Voinea, whose question is left unresolved) is the biggest pair of oversized pants since the last time the FIG messed up.   That...

Simone Biles is not the only story in Olympic gymnastics, though she may be the easiest and most compelling angle for general sports reporters. Actually, though, a bigger story is that the Russians aren’t at these Games - well, apart from a few judges and officials whose wisdom, technical knowledge and taste distinctions obviously make the sport of gymnastics hang together.    At least the FIG must think so and the IOC must agree, as they have given the judges permission to attend and officiate. If some branches of social media are to be believed, even Russian journalists have been declined accreditation at the Games - just in case they are spies. Bercy is haunted by the ghost of Russians past and present who have filled its vertiginous, intimate  rangs  with passionate, noisy and highly knowledgeable followers for decade after decade of heady gymnastics.    Every great Soviet and Russian must at some point have competed here in this grassy clad arena, surr...

David Belyavski was just 19 at his first World Championships in 2011.  Over the past 13 years he has become the leading gymnast of the Russian team, its captain.  He has led Russia to a series of amazing team victories at World, European and Olympic level, always there with his own brand of aesthetic, technically well performed gymnastics.  He moves like a dancer.  His gymnastics is about finesse, lightness and line, yet he still has the power to win medals even in his 32nd year, against a generation of gymnasts who have rewritten the sport’s code of points for themselves, to favour strength and spectacular acrobatics.   His leadership skills motivated fiery, independent-minded athletes like Nagorny and Dalaloyan to come together for the team.  At the last Olympics the sometimes volatile gymnasts grabbed the gold with some remarkable last minute quick thinking, made possible by Belyavski’s calm and encouraging team talks.  His mental strength transform...