European Gymnastics Federation Rejects Return of Russian, Belarusian Athletes
Decision Contradicts International Gymnastics Federation's Plan, Raises Questions About Olympic Qualification
- European Gymnastics, the governing body of gymnastics in Europe, has voted against allowing Russian and Belarusian gymnasts to return to international competitions.
- The International Gymnastics Federation is allowing Russians and Belarusians to return as 'individual neutral athletes' without national symbols from Jan. 1, in line with the International Olympic Committee’s recommendations.
- European Gymnastics' decision not to comply with the International Gymnastics Federation's plan calls into question how Russian and Belarusian athletes could qualify for next year’s Olympics.
- Russia and Belarus have already missed many of the qualification events for Olympic gymnastics since the International Gymnastics Federation barred them following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year.
- The European championships next year were expected to be key opportunities for Russia to qualify gymnasts for the few remaining places at the Paris Olympics.
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