04/03/2022

Given the massive escalation of the Russian military invasion of Ukraine, the Executive Committee (EC) of the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) held an emergency meeting today to discuss the necessity of adopting further emergency measures against Russia and Belarus, following those announced on 26 February.

The EC took into account the latest recommendations from the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the stance of the FIG Athletes’ Commission, and the deep concerns and positions expressed by many national Gymnastics federations, and decided that:

• Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials, including judges, are not allowed to take part in FIG competitions or FIG-sanctioned competitions from 7 March 2022 until further notice.

This means that athletes and officials from these two federations will not participate in the Acrobatic Gymnastics World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan from 10 to 13 March 2022.

The FIG would like to stress that these exceptional and emergency measures are decided and issued in view of the above-mentioned extraordinary circumstances. They constitute preventive measures aiming at preserving the integrity of Gymnastics, the safety and integrity of members and all athletes and participants, and at fighting against all forms of violence and of sports injustice.

Russian and Belarusian nationals who are members of the FIG Executive Committee or of FIG technical committees are not affected by this measure when acting in their capacity as FIG Authorities.

The EC will continue to monitor the situation closely and may further adapt these exceptional measures according to future developments.

Press release bit.ly/35QUriT