Rewriting Russian Gymnastics

Russia’s sporting sanctions date back to 2015, when investigations into state-sponsored doping led to widespread bans across international competitions. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) imposed restrictions that prevented Russian athletes from competing at the 2016 and 2020 Olympics under their national flag or anthem - with the exception of the gymnasts, whose sport is clean and free from doping. Then, in 2022 Russia began a war with Ukraine that is continuing to today.  Sanctions were levied across all sectors of society, including individuals, corporations and - controversially - sport and culture.  In Olympic sport, the IOC (International Olympic Committee) decided that the decision to ban Russia from international competitions should be made by sporting federations, such as the FIG (Federation Internationale de Gymnastique).  Remnants of the sanctions dating back to the discovery of state doping were still in operation...

A Quiet Moment on the Podium Sofiia Krainska is a young Ukrainian gymnast who won a silver medal at the 2026 European Championships. Instead of celebrating, she covered her face with her hands while standing on the podium. The photo shows a calm, private reaction rather than a public celebration. A Russian gymnast had won the gold medal, and Sofia had to listen to the Russian anthem, and watch the Russian flag rise as she stood in front of the audience. The competition is the European Championships of Rhythmic Gymnastics, both junior and senior, and it's the first time that the Russian anthem has been played in a gymnastics arena since the beginning of Russia's war with Ukraine.  Ukraine is expected to continue to protest against the raising of the Russian flag, and playing of the Russian anthem, in forthcoming competitions.  Ukraine want a a peace agreement and for Russia to stop bombing their homes. Sport and the Wider World For some athletes, competitions are affected by e...

The decision by World Gymnastics, and European Gymnastics, to lift restrictions on Russian athletes has triggered a wave of emotion and optimism across Russia’s gymnastics community. After years of competing under neutral status, the return of the flag and anthem has been hailed as a symbolic victory—one that restores national pride and renews motivation among athletes and coaches alike.   Pride and Determination Alexei Nemov, one of Russia’s most decorated gymnasts, expressed his joy at the restoration of national symbols: ‘I am very glad that we got back the flag ànd the anthem.  But we need to go there and reinforce this with good results on the podium.  Performing under the flag of one’s country gives confidence, but the flag ànd anthem alone will not give you medals.  The most important thing is quality preparation for international competitions by each individual gymnast.’ Nemov’s statement captures the balance between patriotism and professionalism—recognizing...

People often say that sport and politics don’t mix, and the situation with Russia shows why. First, its athletes were banned from competing in the Olympics. Now, they have been allowed back in. We have to try to think - which is right? The real problem in the world right now is war, not sport. Some leaders think fighting is the only way to solve things. And the people who run the Olympics think that banning countries will somehow stop wars. It hasn’t worked. When Russia was not allowed to compete, gymnastics felt different. Some people thought it was less exciting. Now the Russian gymnasts are coming back, and everyone is wondering how they will manage. Can they get ready in time for the Olympics? The IOC — the organisation that runs the Olympics — first banned Russia and is now letting them return. Other sports groups are following their lead. Their rules are very strict and written in legal language. They are not talking about feelings or fairness, only about laws. There is also a...

  Sport is not the problem, world politics is.   Put another way, speaking as a feminist, only men could believe that the answer to any problem is to bomb, shoot, kill and maim.   And, speaking as a sports afficionado, only the IOC could believe that isolating nations from the Olympic mission of peace and friendship might solve the problem of war.   Is sport ‘war without the shooting’?      Politics and sport do not mix, that’s for sure.   Am I the only one who found gymnastics without the Russkies just a little bit flat and boring?     Now we have them back and have to contemplate how their gymnasts will cope in a new age.   Can they revive their motivation and get back in time to compete as a team at the Olympics?     The IOC started the sanction, and now it’s attempting to stop it.   They are the ones who hold the power, and their approach is mirrored by the sporting federations who are gradually letting Ru...

Almost two years ago the IOC sanctioned Russia for invading Ukraine.  The IOC effectively banned Russia’s team from international competition in Olympic sports.   2020/1 was therefore Russia’s last Olympics, but even so they competed then not as Russia, but under the flag of the Russian Olympic Committee. There has been a long history of ‘diplomatic’ conflict between Russia and the IOC.  You could think back as far as 1984 when the team boycotted the LA Olympics, but more recently we begin with the ‘state doping’ that went on in particular at the Sochi Winter Olympic Games in 2014.  Gymnastics wasn’t affected at that time as the sport of gymnastics is clean, but the sanctions on sport in Russia, in general, have gradually become stronger.  It’s now only possible for gymnasts to compete internationally as individuals, with neutral status.  Neutral status is granted by their sporting administrative bodies, in our case the FIG.   It’s not an easy job, eit...

You can read the Examiner article below for details if the FIG’s somewhat disappointing financial performance.  Perhaps you have some ideas how it could be improved?  Live streaming of quals could be one new income stream. In the meantime, my opinion.  Never forget that Russian bank VTB was a sponsor of FIG before the sanctions took hold.    Russia’s withdrawal from the sport has directly reduced income - firstly, no VTB sponsorship; secondly the sport has less entertainment value without the artistic, innovative and technically proficient gymnasts of Russia.  This again affects income levels as reduced spectator interest and the resulting decrease in sponsorship and broadcast revenues. I’m not arguing about the need for sanctions, either way.    Just pointing out that if you cut off the limbs, the body will be affected. https://www.thesportsexaminer.com/gymnastics-fig-2024-financial-report-shows-very-modest-19-million-in-2024-revenue-but-good-res...

I don’t understand why Russia would bother to try to register for Worlds,  as they had said they didn’t want individual athletes to take up neutral status.  Russia is effectively banned from competing as a team internationally in all Olympic sports. Via Sports Express, Google translate. ❗Russia has applied to participate in the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships The preliminary application for the World Championships, which will be held in late October in Jakarta (Indonesia), includes 14 neutral athletes, eight men and six girls. A maximum of six men and four girls can be registered from a country for this World Championships. Thus, at least two men and two girls have been registered from Russia, provided that Belarus has used its full quota. However, it is possible that each country has registered four men and three girls. On April 5, representatives of all Russian gymnastics disciplines announced that they were refraining from international competitions due to unjustifi...

 An official announcement, via VK.  Google translate. Official statement of the Russian Gymnastics Federation All Russian athletes representing artistic and rhythmic gymnastics, who received "neutral status", decided to refrain from participating in the upcoming competitions under the auspices of the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG). The reason for this decision is the numerous unfounded and biased refusals of the FIG special committee to allow our gymnasts to compete. The Russian Gymnastics Federation respects and shares the position of the athletes. President of the Russian Gymnastics Federation Oleg Belozerov: "I respect the athletes' decision and understand what it is dictated by. At our meeting on March 10, Mr. Watanabe said that "I would like to use all my strength to once again think about the role of sport in this world. Sport should unite and give friendship, it should not be a tool for increasing hatred. The rights of every person must be resp...

Via VK.com.  Google translate A big interview with Aliya Mustafina was published on MATCH!. We provide a small excerpt below, and the full version is available on the website at the link below  ❓ Aliya, you are now the head coach of the junior artistic gymnastics team. What does your typical day look like? 💜 My current life is similar to what it was when I was competing. In the morning, I have breakfast and go to work by 9:00, we train for four hours, have lunch, rest and train for another three hours. During the training camp, the athletes live at the base. They live and train on the same territory. ❓ Do you manage the gymnasts' personal trainers or do you evenly distribute the responsibilities? 💜 We work in contact with the personal trainers, I listen to their opinions. For example, if the trainer believes that their athlete needs to be given a little rest or do fewer repetitions of a particular exercise, we do so. ❓ Describe the current generation of children. Do they nee...

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...

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...

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...

TASS reports that promising junior Diana Kustova (Moscow) has retired, and taken up work as a fitness trainer.  Yana Vorona (Voronezh), a great beam worker who looked likely to achieve as a full member of the senior team, has also retired. Both gymnasts have been unable to get back to elite level after injury. No further news on Vlada Urazova (Rostov).  The only Olympians who will be present at Novosibirsk for the Russian Cup will be Angelina Melnikova and Viktoria Listunova.  Russia is almost entirely reliant now on the new generation of  2007/8 born gymnasts to carry forward their gymnastics legacy.   Here is what head coach Valentina Rodionenko has to say: Members of the Russian national artistic gymnastics team Diana Kustova and Yana Vorona have ended their careers. This was reported to TASS by the senior coach of the national team Valentina Rodionenko. 💛"Kustova ended her career in artistic gymnastics and went into fitness, according to my information, she...

Google translate of a Match TV interview with Olympic Champion Viktoria Listunova.  With thanks to the gymnastics group on VK.com Victoria Listunova told Match TV about her recovery from injury on the air of the program “Above Olympus”. “The year didn’t start off very well. I had a back injury. Now I have to work hard on it [recovery], devote time to it. That’s why even now my main activities are training, then a trip to the medical center, where I undergo various procedures, exercise therapy, and see a doctor. He gives various recommendations on what to do next.” What is your goal? “To leave my mark on gymnastics, to create my own history.” Will you watch the Olympics? “I don’t know. Maybe! (laughs) I don’t know for sure yet. I would watch.” How should I think now? “I haven’t had a situation where I was very upset or anything. I just always live with this thought: “We’ll get through it!” I always hold on to this thought everywhere.” Aren’t you sad? “No! (smiles).” We’re looking fo...

 

 Artur Dalaloyan on the competition in the national team, performing at the BRICS Games and the desire to rest ❓After performing in the all-around, Nikita Nagorny admitted that he did not devote much time to training before the BRICS Games. Accordingly, his physical fitness left much to be desired. What can you say about yourself in this regard? - I can say with absolute certainty that performing in the all-around requires 100% preparation and, accordingly, a large training volume. I did this volume, so I calmly went out on the platform, realizing that I was capable of completing the all-around. ❓Didn't you lose heart when it became known that the Friendship Games might be postponed until next year? - Of course, we expected that the Friendship Games would take place on time. They, like the BRICS Games, were quite a big additional incentive: after all, they are international competitions. Therefore, I tried to work in such a way as not to lower the level of the all-around. ❓Do you s...