Photograph of Stella Zakharova, courtesy of the Kiev Times Amid rising political and military tensions in Ukraine, former Soviet gymnastics champion Stella Zakharova, now a resident of Kiev, is struggling to find government support for her gymnastics competition, the Stella Zakharova Cup, last year supported by a strong field of competitors including teams from Russia, Japan and Brazil as well as the home team. The competition is reliant on government support for part of its funding and also for confirmation of the competition dates. Originally scheduled for March 29th and 30th, the competition was first rescheduled for April but its postponement currently appears indefinite. Zakharova is complaining that Minister of Sport and Youth, Dmitri Bulatov, is ignoring her requests for support and information. She is conducting a fairly vocal campaign, having appeared recently on Ukrainian radio and in a number of local press reports. The latest story about ...
Reporting and analysing Russian gymnastics since 2010. Includes original and exclusive interviews with leading coaches and gymnasts, and historical issues dating back to the Soviet Union. The first blog to report extensively on the sport using Russian language sources. I read, I argue, and I have opinions. Be warned.