"Under the Neutral Flag": Gymnasts from the Russian Federation and Belarus will be admitted to competitions

The decision is explained by the fact that the Federation respects "the right of all athletes, regardless of their nationality, to handling without discrimination. " "Taking Russian and Belarusian gymnasts to participate in competitions as independent and neutral, FIG ensures the rights of all athletes and sends the world signal that gymnastics seeks peace," - said the President of the Federation Morinari Vatanabe.

With regard to the participation of athletes with Russian and Belarusian sports citizenship in competitions, sanctioned FIG, the executive committee made the following decision: the participation of athletes as individual neutral athletes will be accompanied by a number of measures described in special rules aimed at ensuring strict compliance with neutrality.

Any athlete who wants to obtain the status of "individual neutral athlete" will have to apply to the Committee of the International Gymnastics Federation in accordance with special rules. Athletes who have received this status will have the right to participate in competitions sanctioned by FIG from January 1, 2024. The International Gymnastics Federation noted that the participation of Russian and Belarussian athletes in the Paris Olympic Games in Paris will determine the IOC.

The Committee will complete work on special rules that will publish in the coming weeks. Sports citizenship is an institute that determines the legal connection of the athlete with a particular state, determines the sports and professional relations of the athlete with national sports federations, provides for the opportunity to play for a particular national team. We will remind, on July 10 Beleniuk explained what a meeting with Ukrainians at the Olympics will turn to the Russians.