Upon his arrival in Moscow this month, Morinari Watanabe, the president of the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG), made a curious decision. As he emerged for meetings, Watanabe was greeted by the gymnast Nikita Nagornyy. The pair embraced in a warm hug before the cameras.
Across his decade on the Russian men’s national team, Nagornyy established himself as one of the great gymnasts of his generation. A former world all-around champion, he led Russia to the men’s team gold at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. His eponymous triple back pike remains an audacious athletic feat.
This month, Watanabe visited Russia in order to begin the reintegration of some gymnasts to international competition as individual neutral athletes. Although the FIG has permitted Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete as neutrals since 2023, the Russian gymnastics federation had initially refused to comply with the neutrality rules.
Russia has long been one of the most successful countries in the sport. Their absence has therefore left a significant mark on the sport competitively.
This time, they will finally return to competition. The most notable name cleared to compete is Angelina Melnikova, a member of that victorious Tokyo women’s team, a wonderful athlete and one of the most accomplished gymnasts of her generation. So far, 17 men’s and women’s artistic gymnasts have been approved as neutral athletes. Across the various disciplines, 120 athletes and support staff have been approved.
While there is no way back into competition for the warmongering Nagornyy, his presence at the FIG’s event served as a reminder of the notable role that Russian gymnastics has played in war propaganda and the difficulty of defining neutrality.
Three years ago, after all, gymnastics provided a significant stage for discussions about the presence of Russian athletes in global sport after the Russian gymnast Ivan Kuliak wore a pro-war Z symbol on his chest while standing next to the Ukrainian gymnast Illia Kovtun during a medal ceremony at the World Cup in Qatar. Kuliak, who was eventually banned for a year, received ample support from his Russian peers.
Since then, numerous gymnasts have played significant roles in pro-war propaganda or else have indicated their support of the war. Prominent figures at these events included Viktoria Listunova and Vladislava Urazova, two teenage prodigies in the 2021 Olympic team gold medal effort who later stood front and centre on stage at pro-war rallies while wearing Z symbols. Listunova was not approved as a neutral athlete.
According to the FIG’s ad hoc rules, which list the conditions of participation for individual neutral athletes from Russia and Belarus, gymnasts must have no link to the Russian or Belarusian military, or other security agencies, which includes not being contracted with “any affiliated entities”. Given they compete at CSKA, it is unclear if Melnikova and a number of other approved athletes truly clear that hurdle.
This is a complicated subject, but the FIG has done a poor job of implementing its rules with clarity, meaning its decision-making appears inconsistent. Rather than publicly explaining the rationale behind the acceptance and rejection of individuals, the FIG has simply posted a basic list of neutral athletes cleared to compete internationally, which it says has been decided by an “ad hoc committee”.
In lieu of greater transparency, it is hard not to look at the warm embrace between Watanabe and Nagornyy and wonder what deals behind the scenes may have been struck to initiate the return of athletes from one of the few true powerhouse gymnastics countries.
