On 16th August a press conference took place at the RBK Press Centre in Moscow. The head coaches, some of the personal coaches (with the exception of Viktoria Komova's coach, Gennady Elfimov) and the gymnasts were present to discuss the future of Russian gymnastics. I have no idea if a key question highlighted in the lead up to the conference, do the coaching staff need to be changed, is of any real significance. Lupita's translation (below) addresses matters of coach training and availability, the plan for the coming four years; the Code of Points and its revision for the new quad, whether there is a judges' 'conspiracy', and a degree of contextualisation of Russia's current gymnastics legacy in relation to the history of the sport and the Soviet Union. There does seem to be concern amongst the personal coaches of the women's team, with both Sergei Zelikson (Anastasia Grishina) and Maria Ulyankina (Maria Paseka) suggesting that head coach Alexad...
Reporting and analysing Russian gymnastics since 2010. Includes original and exclusive interviews with leading coaches and gymnasts, and historical issues dating back to the Soviet Union. The first blog to report extensively on the sport using Russian language sources. I read, I argue, and I have opinions. Be warned.