Spain has banned almost the entire Russian national team from entering the European Bodybuilding Championship

The Russian national bodybuilding team will not be able to perform at the European Championships in Spain in full force due to the refusal of the embassy of this country to grant entry visas to athletes of the Russian Federation, despite the invitation of the IFBB. This was reported in the press service of the Russian Bodybuilding Federation.

"In early May, our team of 200 people was supposed to take part in the European Championship in Spain. However, the Embassy of the Spanish Kingdom refused most of our athletes visas, despite the official invitation of the International Bodybuilding Federation (IFBB), letters of support from the mayor of Santa Susanna and from Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation with the direct participation of the Ministry of Sports of the Russian Federation. Only one tenth of the announced team will go to the competition. These are 20 athletes who already had Schengen visas in their hands or who received them as tourists on their own," the press service told TASS.

On February 24, Russian athletes received an official invitation from the International Bodybuilding Federation to participate in the European Championship. The IFBB management confirmed that Russians will be able to compete in this tournament with the flag and anthem of their country according to the decision of the international federation of July 8, 2024.

The European Bodybuilding and Fitness Championships will be held from April 30 to May 5 in the Spanish Santa Susanna.

Until July 2024, by the decision of the IFBB Executive Committee, athletes of the Russian Bodybuilding Federation could compete with the flag and anthem of their country at all international competitions, except for the World and European championships, where they had to perform under a neutral status.