Rewriting Russian Gymnastics

Picture courtesy of Igor Radivilov on VK.com As Russia's Ministry of Sport released an interview with Valentina Rodionenko in which the Head Coach requested assistance to develop gymnastics in Crimea (see earlier post), Ukraine's vault and rings ace Igor Radivilov posted this picture of himself with team mate Oleg Verniaiev and Ukraine Prime Minister Arseny Yatsenyuk. Does anyone know what this event was, when it took place, and what the awards are? The Liukin's Nico tells me that this was an award handed out in May ... so it might just be coincidence that Igor chose to post it now.

Does Ukraine have a future in men's gymnastics, or will its athletes move overseas to pursue their talents?  Oleg Stepko's personal photograph as he prepared to travel to Baku Many of the stories to be found on this blog are about a relatively unspoken fact of life of the sport - the migration of gymnasts, coaches and officials from their home countries overseas.  While we discuss the personalities, we do not consider the phenomenon of migration and its influence on the sport particularly deeply.  This is a little surprising, as migration has shaped the sport significantly since 1991.  In particular, coaches from Russia and the states of the former Soviet Union - and their families - have figured as the main protagonists in the worldwide development of the sport.  In America, the phenomenon began earlier - during the 1980s - as Romanian head coaches Bela and Marta Karolyi defected to the States, and went on to build the nascent characteristics of Amer...

It is difficult to say what is the significance of the following communication by the great Ukrainian champion, which is accompanied by the above image of a rather dirty Ukrainian flag.  Posted a few minutes ago on VK.com, it hints at changes to come, especially in the context of his compatriot, Oleg Stepko's, recent migration to Azerbaijan.  I am posting Igor's words here both in Russian and English, in order to give Russian speakers the opportunity to comment, and iron out any possible inaccuracies or loss of nuance in the translation. I would like to say - good luck, Oleg!   'Кого интересует мой переход под другие цвета флага . Да этот вопрос сейчас решается но пока что я защищаю цвета своей страны. Я думаю в скором времени все будет решено ! If you are interested in my transition to other colours of the flag. Yes, this issue is now solved but so far I am defending the colors of his country. I think soon everything will be decided!' Updated 23.50 14th March Nico Jack...