Tension prevailed at the FIG Rhythmic Gymnastics Challenge Cup being held in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, as the national team of Russia decided to withdraw from the competition, denouncing that the organizers refused to use the Russian flag and the national anthem in the award ceremonies.
According to the Russian side, the athletes were informed before the start of the competitions that even in the case of winning medals, neutral symbols would be used in the award ceremony instead of the Russian flag. This decision, as the delegation claims, led to a collective withdrawal from the competition, as it was considered a violation of the rules and unequal treatment in relation to the rest of the participating countries.
The silver Olympic medalist of 1996, Yana Batyrshina, characterized the decision of the team as the only dignified stance, arguing that after the lifting of the relevant restrictions Russian athletes have the right to compete under the flag and anthem of their country. Concurrently, she expressed her disappointment over the fact that the athletes prepared for months, traveled to Romania and ultimately could not present their programs.
Moving along the same wavelength was also the Minister of Sports of Russia, Mikhail Degtyarev, who announced that Moscow will seek the imposition of sanctions on the Romanian federation and even the removal of the right of Romania to host international gymnastics competitions.
For his part, the mayor of Cluj-Napoca, Emil Boc, had stated before the start of the competition that he did not desire the presence of Russian state symbols in the arena and that the match would be conducted only under a neutral status for Russian athletes.
The case is expected to cause reactions within the ranks of the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG), as Russia claims that the applicable international regulations were violated, while so far there has been no official positioning by FIG regarding the complaints.
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