Russian gymnasts refused to compete in the Romanian city

Russian gymnasts refused to compete in the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca after the anthem and flag were banned, the Russian Gymnastics Federation (FGR) reported.

The press secretary of the FGR Linar Ginatullin said that the organizers verbally notified the Russians "that the national flag of the Russian Federation will not be displayed at the sports arena and the national anthem will not be performed in the event of a victory of Russian gymnasts."

The FGR will challenge the ban, referring to the decision of the World Gymnastics executive committee in May on the full return of Russian gymnasts to international sports.

Earlier, the mayor of Cluj-Napoca, Emil Bock, called unacceptable use in the country EU state symbols of the Russian Federation because of the war against Ukraine. According to Bock, when he approved the holding of the competitions — the Challenge Cup stage — in Cluj-Napoca, Russian gymnasts did not yet have the right to perform under the national flag. He appealed to the International Gymnastics Federation with a request to hold competitions in the city according to the rules in force at the time of the decision on their organization.

Russian Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyarev called the mayor's statement a blatant violation of the Olympic Charter and said that the Russian Olympic Committee immediately informed the International Olympic Committee about the situation.

The final stage of the Rhythmic Gymnastics Challenge Cup will be held from June 26 to 28 in Cluj-Napoca. The tournament is included in the official calendar and is held under the auspices of World Gymnastics. According to the results of the competition, the winners of the Challenge Cup series were to be determined.