The tragic end for Russian gymnastics

 

Russian gymnastics’ recent decision to withdraw its neutral athletes from international competition, as a protest over some offence or other, is highly uncharacteristic.  Only a few weeks ago, Russia was welcoming FIG President Watanabe into its gymnastics homes, with smiles and hugs exchanged at the highest level.  The gymnasts, including especially Angelina Melnikova, have been training assiduously for a return to the international arena.  There have been excited announcements of the names of those returning to our world of gymnastics.

 

Russian gymnastics has always been friendly, international and diplomatic.  Good sportsmanship is required of athletes and is generally shown, with a few notable exceptions.  During the depths of the Cold War, Russia’s teams toured the world, staging friendship displays and offering workshops and training.  Russian officials have been at the heart of the sport’s governance since the early 1990s and earlier this year many were re-elected to senior positions within the FIG. 

 

Recently, changes have been made to the running of the sport in Russia.  A new umbrella Russian Gymnastics Federation, covering all the different forms of the sport in Russia, has been established, with a new President, Oleg Belyozhorov, a former Deputy Minister of Transport and CEO of Russian Railways.  Artistic Gymnastics has its own discrete Federation, led by mostly the same people as before – Titov and the Rodionenkos.  It is unclear exactly who does the decision making, but it has so far seemed that Artistic Gymnastics has retained its independence and managed its athletes pretty much as before.  I repeat, it has SEEMED this way.

 

Thus we have had a great deal to look forward to now that Titov and the team have got together with Watanabe and formed opportunities for the gymnasts to compete, subject to clearance as neutral athletes.  The coaches have looked as inspired as the gymnasts at this result.  It has been a real diplomatic coup.

 

Perhaps rather too much of a coup for our friends at the Russian Gymnastics Federation (the ‘Bolshoi’ one).  While I’m pretty sure that the Rodionenkos were involved in negotiations with Watanabe, I’m almost equally sure that they are NOT behind the current decision to withdraw neutral athletes from international competition.  The old family do care about their athletes and coaches, and it would hurt their gymnasts and their organisation to rob them of competition.

 

So, while Valentina Rodionenko has a reputation for making – ahem – unusual decisions in the past, those decisions haven’t been overtly political and have usually been motivated for the good of the sport.  Andrei Rodionenko and the other senior coaches are models of tact and diplomacy.

 

And this withdrawal IS a political decision.  It mirrors the alienation of the West that is typical of Putin’s Russia at the moment, is high profile and matters to a lot of people.  I believe the decision to have been made by the new RGF President, Oleg Belyozhorov.  His organisation is bragging about the withdrawal of the gymnasts as if they had mined some gold. Belyozhorov is hugely rich, has no background in sport.  He won’t care about the future of a few 16 year olds, and would probably rather see them in battle dress.

 

Gymnastics, the most watched Olympic sport, is the poorer for Belyozhorov’s deliberate wastage of his country’s national talent.  For, it seems to me, this is the final stage for Russian gymnastics.  It is a tragedy.