Diana Lobok of Ukraine competes during the women’s balance beam qualifying round of the 17th FIG Artistic Gymnastics Apparatus World Cup in Doha, Qatar, April 17, 2025. (Photo by Nikku/Xinhua via Getty Images)
Xinhua News Agency via Getty Images
The Paris World Challenge Cup is a key competition in the final weeks before the World Gymnastics Championships in Jakarta, Indonesia, in October. Held September 12 through 14, the event hosts athletes from countless nations, with seven gymnasts from the Ukrainian Gymnastics Federation originally slated to compete.
However, the competition will finish today without Ukrainians taking to the stage in Paris, due to the federation’s withdrawal of its nation’s athletes. Why? The Russian and Belarusian athletes’ inclusion at the event.
The Ukrainian Gymnastics Federation shared their justification for the decision in the following statement posted on Instagram.
“The Ukrainian Gymnastics Federation continues uncompromising fight against the intentions of the aggressor country to use the sport for propaganda purposes.
Any participation of Russian gymnasts in international competitions, regardless of athletes’ presence of a status of neutrality, is threatened by using such participation to demonstrate recognition of the aggressor country as a civilized world.
However, it is rare that the status of neutral is awarded to athletes who do not meet established neutrality criteria, as evidenced by the facts.
Yes, many Russian gymnasts, including those with the status of a neutral athlete, are included in the list of “champions of terror”, as reflected on the website of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, namely: war-sanctions.gur.gov.ua .
The Ukrainian Gymnastics Federation considers it unacceptable to participate in competitions where “champions of terror” participate. Certainly, the non-participation of Ukrainian gymnasts in international sports competitions causes some damage to the sports composition, which leaves a sickening siege in our gymnasts and coaches, who have done a great job of preparing gymnasts for competitions.
However, the issue of national security, namely its component as information security, prevails over all considerations and personal feelings.
The question is not who is stronger and will perform better, as it will only reflect the sporting result, let alone the victorious.
The threat of joint performances with gymnasts belonging to the category “Champions of Terror” is the use of the country – the aggressor of such joint performances to justify and legitimize aggression against Ukraine among a foreign audience.
The Ukrainian Gymnastics Federation considers participation of Ukrainian athletes in international sports competitions taking into account all possible pros and cons that should take into account the military situation in the country and meet the information vector of the military and political leadership of the country.”
Ukraine’s Warning Goes Unheeded
In August, the International Gymnastics Federation published its official registrant list for the event. The FIG confirmed the registration of five Russian or Belarusian gymnasts as authorized neutral athletes (AIN).
Their attendance in Paris marked their official return to international competition for the first time since 2021, following an FIG-instituted ban implemented in March 2022 due to Russia’s war in Ukraine. The ban was lifted on January 1, 2024. The FIG permitted their return, but only as “individual neutral athletes” (AIN) under strict conditions prohibiting national representation.
Their approval to compete this September generated significant uproar, with many alleging Angelina Melnikova’s participation, in particular, violates FIG rules. Melnikova, the 2021 World Champion and Olympic gold medalist, stood out as an egregious conclusion due to her political involvement.
The approvals contradict the International Gymnastics Federation’s (FIG) neutrality conditions detailed in their ad-hoc guidelines.
When I spoke with Ukrainian Gymnastics officials in August, the federation’s response was clear: the FIG’s decision was an ‘exact’ example of “Sportwashing.”
According to Cambridge Dictionary, “Sportwashing is when sport — with all the positive feelings it inspires — is used to divert attention from social or environmental problems.”
At that time, Iryna Deriugina, President of the Ukrainian Gymnastics Federation, told me that the UGF would await action from the FIG regarding the Russian and Belarusian inclusion at the Paris competition.
However, she told me that if the FIG does not address the UGF’s allegations of sportwashing, Ukrainian athletes may withdraw from the event in “passive protest.”
Due to the FIG’s inaction regarding the Russian and Belarusian athletes’ participation at the event, the Ukrainian Gymnastics Federation withdrew its athletes, as confirmed by the absence from the competitive start lists on Friday.
Moving Forward To World Championships
The Ukrainian Gymnastics Federation’s withdrawal decision could reach a major international scale in October. With the FIG’s approval of Russian and Belarusian authorized neutral athletes in Paris, their participation at the upcoming World Championships seems likely.
Given the UGF’s commitment to contesting “sportswashing,” Ukraine’s refusal to compete in the sport’s premier competition emerges as a definite possibility.