Rewriting Russian Gymnastics

Liubov Andrianova in 2016 Liubov Andrianova and Dmitri Andreev, members of the FIG Technical Committees for men’s and women’s gymnastics, travel today to Paris to participate in the Olympic Games. Liubov Andrianova competed under her maiden name of Burda in the 1968 and 1972 Olympics and has been one of the leading FIG judges for decades.  Her son with 1976 Olympic Champion, Nikolai Andrianov (RIP), Sergei, is a senior coach on the Russian senior team, specialising in bars. 1980 Olympic champion for the USSR, Elena Davydova, will also be judging for Canada at these Olympics.   Russians still sit on various committees of the FIG across the various sports that make up gymnastics.  President of the RGF, Vasily Titov, sits on the Executive Board as a senior member of the FIG.  Andrianova and Andreev will contribute their huge technical knowledge to the  gymnastics at these Games, and will scrutinise the progress of the sport. Lists of the full membership of the vari...

It has been a busy day in the press, and, I expect, a busy day at Lake Krugloye, where both teams are putting the finishing touches to their routines for Rio.  Can we spend some time thinking about how they must be feeling at this uncertain time?  Is there anything readers of RRG can do to support our teams?  If you have any imagery, video, memes or even just words of support, please post links to them in the comments and I will disseminate them through my various social media channels.  (You might find it easier to post pictures and video on the RRG Facebook page.)  Some will reach the gymnasts, and I am certain that your support will help them.   Let me say, right away, I believe in our gymnasts 100%.  I do not for one moment think that any of them has done anything to deserve the doubt and innuendo that has been cast on them today.  In my opinion, the IOC will throw out the WADA recommendations as unfair and unworkable.  In the ...