Following a massive escalation of the Russian military invasion of Ukraine, the International Gymnastics Federation, (FIG) has suspended Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials, including judges from taking part in FIG competitions or FIG-sanctioned competitions from 7th March until further notice.
With this, athletes and officials from these federations will not participate in the Acrobatic Gymnastics World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan from 10 to 13th March 2022.
FIG in a press statement said the sanction followed its Executive Council meeting which took into account the latest position of the Olympics Committee (IOC), the stance of the FIG Athletes’ Commission and the deep concern and positions expressed by many National Gymnastics Federations across the world.
“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 the FIG Technical Committees are not affected by this measure when acting in their capacity as FIG Authorities”, the statement said.
The statement assured that the Executive Committee will continue to monitor the situation closely and may further adapt these exceptional measures according to future developments.
