LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 08: Oleg Verniaiev of Ukraine chalks his hands before competing on the pommel horse during the men’s competition for the iPro Sport World Cup of Gymnastics at The O2 Arena on April 8, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images)
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The Ukrainian Gymnastics Federation (UGF) has called for immediate action after World Gymnastics’ (FIG) decision to lift all restrictions on Russian and Belarusian athletes. On May 18, the FIG’s Executive Committee voted to lift all restrictions imposed on the respective nations, permitting their full return to World Championships and Olympic competitions.
The restrictions were originally imposed in 2022 after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. From 2022 to 2024, no Russian or Belarusian athletes competed at a World Championships or Olympic Games.
However, the restrictions were amended in 2024 to permit select athletes to compete under authorized neutral criteria, though many critics argued the criteria were inconsistently enforced.
At the 2025 World Championships, Russian gymnast Angelina Melnikova competed – and won all-around gold – as an Individual Neutral Athlete (AIN). Melnikova was prohibited from wearing Russian paraphernalia or playing the Russian anthem. In 2026, she and her teammates can don the blue, red and white.
The FIG’s ruling allows Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate fully with their national anthems and flags. The Ukrainian Gymnastics Federation (UGF) swiftly condemned the decision.
In a statement shared May 21, the federation criticized the FIG’s decision, declaring that the move “not only contradicts the declared ethical principles of sport, but also contains signs of significant legal contradictions with the guiding documents of the International Gymnastics Federation itself.”
An “Unbearable” Choice for Athletes
The federation argues that last week’s decision has an immediate and devastating impact on Ukrainian athletes. The nation’s top gymnasts now face an “unbearable personal choice,” UGF claims: to either serve one’s patriotic duty in representing their country, or to withdraw due to “moral and ethical conflict.”
“Such pressure is unacceptable in a modern humanistic society,” the UGF adds.
Further, the federation argues that the FIG’s decision creates conditions for deep discrimination against Ukrainian gymnasts and all Ukrainian sports. The UGF highlights a direct contradiction, arguing that the decision directly contradicts World Gymnastics’ anti-discrimination policy.
“Creating preferences for representatives of the countries responsible for these losses is a form of direct and indirect discrimination against those who suffered from aggression,” the federation argues.
The UGF argues that the Executive Committee’s ruling is not in compliance with the “fundamental objectives of the organization” and the Olympic Charter, adding that the decision and its global implications extend beyond the EC’s authority.
“The issue of returning the national attributes of the aggressor country and its satellite should be brought up for open and united discussion by all member countries, and not be resolved at the level of the executive body,” the UGF writes.