"We are not going to perform". Russian gymnasts withdraw from the 2024 Olympics

Russian national gymnastics team athletes will not compete in international competitions in a neutral status, Valentina Rodionenko said. According to the senior coach of the Russian national team, Russian athletes will not compete under such conditions.

In July 2023, the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) announced that four Russian athletes would be allowed to compete in the Olympics in a neutral status starting January 1, 2024. Yana Lebedeva, Angela Bladtseva, Kirill Kozlov, and Danila Kasimov, all of whom compete in trampoline, have been granted the permission by the FIG.

"I have to say right away that there are no athletes in artistic gymnastics who would apply to participate in competitions in a neutral status. We had access, but we refused to apply as neutral athletes," Rodionenko said in an interview with RIA Novosti.

As OBOZ.UA reported earlier, Valentyna Rodionenko accused the International Olympic Committee (IOC) of allegedly unleashing a real tyranny on athletes from Russia.

Prior to that, Rodionenko said she was "surprised" that Ukraine does not understand why it wants to "remove Russia" from world sports.

In May 2023, Valentina Rodionenko spoke out against Russia's participation in the 2024 Olympics. She called agreeing to such conditions a real humiliation.

Last December, the Russian rhythmic gymnastics team refused to participate in international competitions without national symbols. This refers, in particular, to the Olympic Games in Paris next year, as performing in a neutral status would be considered a disgrace.

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