Russian Gymnasts Withdraw from Romanian Tournament

The Russian Gymnastics Federation has decided not to participate in the World Gymnastics Cup held in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. The federation announced its withdrawal from the tournament after the organizers verbally informed them that they would not allow the Russian flag to be raised or the Russian national anthem to be played. Linar Ginatullin, the press secretary of the Russian Gymnastics Federation for artistic skating, emphasized that this attitude is contrary to the decision made by the World Gymnastics Federation in May to restore all rights of Russian athletes. Russian State Duma deputy Svetlana Jurova noted that the situation could be a planned strategy, and the organizers' behavior is aimed at preventing Russian athletes from participating in tournaments. Jurova stated that despite the decisions made by international federations, some EU countries have agreed not to implement these decisions and continue to deny Russian athletes the right to participate in competitions under the Russian flag and with the Russian national anthem.