The Executive Committee of the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) has extended the suspension of athletes from Russia and Belarus from the competition. The corresponding statement was published on the official site FIG on March 3rd.
“Unfortunately, the conflict in Ukraine, which began a little over a year ago, continues to this day. Given the exceptional circumstances surrounding this conflict, the FIG Executive Board has decided to confirm the measures taken on February 26, 2022 and March 4, 2022 to exclude Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials from international competitions until further notice,” the statement reads.
It is noted that the organization will monitor the overall situation and “may review these measures depending on the development of circumstances.”
Under the auspices of FIG, competitions are held in artistic and rhythmic gymnastics, trampolining and other disciplines.
Earlier, on October 12, the champion of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Anastasia Maksimova, told Izvestia that after the removal of Russian athletes, international competitions lost a lot. According to her, Russia is one of the strongest sports countries. Therefore, the question to the rest of the participants: is it interesting for them to perform without worthy rivals.
On March 4, 2022, the FIG banned gymnasts from Russia and Belarus from competing or being judges in FIG competitions and competitions sanctioned by the organization.
On February 28, 2022, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recommended that international sports federations not allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in international competitions due to the situation around the Russian Federation and Ukraine.
