Rewriting Russian Gymnastics

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...

I was reading International Gymnast Online yesterday and came across a story about the Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships: http://www.intlgymnast.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1921:russia-wins-three-more-golds-in-moscow&catid=5:competition-reports&Itemid=164 What caught my eye was Tanya's comment at the bottom of the page, to the effect that the Russian team had won too many golds at this championships, and that the FIG shouldn't 'allow' it. Now, granted, I don't know much about rhythmic. The 15 point winning margin of the Russian team suggests that there wasn't much doubt about their win, though, and there seem to be enough people in the world gasping about Kanayeva's grace and artistry to make these wins seem reasonably legitimate; if anything can be legitimate in this sport given the amount of controversy surrounding figures such as Irina Viner. What really got me thinking, though, was the poster's emphas...