European Gymnastics Votes Against Allowing Russian and Belarusian Gymnasts to Return to Competition

The European Gymnastics governing body voted against allowing Russian and Belarusian gymnasts to return to international competitions, citing concerns about the athletes ability to qualify for the 2024 Olympics.

The governing body of gymnastics in Europe has voted against allowing Russian and Belarusian gymnasts to return to international competitions, throwing into question how they will be able to qualify for next year’s Olympics.

International Gymnastics Federation’s Decision

The International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) had decided to allow Russians and Belarusians to return as "individual neutral athletes” without national symbols from January 1, in line with the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) recommendations.

European Gymnastics’ Decision

However, European Gymnastics said its members voted on Friday not to comply with that plan. "The General Assembly of European Gymnastics has voted against allowing athletes and officials from Russia and Belarus to return to official European Gymnastics competitions from January 1, 2024 onwards, thus not following the FIG decision,” it said in a statement.

FIG’s Response

The FIG told The Associated Press in an emailed statement that it "takes note of the decision” by European Gymnastics. "Although this may have an impact on Olympic qualification through continental championships, the FIG cannot provide any further details on this until all the relevant stakeholders have been consulted, it said.

Impact on Olympic Qualification

Russia and its ally Belarus have already missed many of the qualification events for Olympic gymnastics since the FIG barred them following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year. The European championships next year were expected to be key opportunities for Russia to qualify gymnasts for the few remaining places at the Paris Olympics. European countries also host some events in the FIG World Cup series, which is another path to qualifying for the Olympics.

With European Gymnastics voting against the return of Russian and Belarusian gymnasts, it remains to be seen how they will be able to qualify for the Olympics. The FIG will need to consult with all relevant stakeholders to determine the next steps.