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Gymnast Ivan Kulyak stunned officials and fans on Sunday when he appeared in support of Russian troops invading Ukraine at the World Equipment Championships in Doha, Qatar.
Kulyak, a 20-year-old artistic gymnast from Kaluga, Russia, placed third in the parallel bars exercise and joined Ukrainian Ilya Kovtun and Kazakh Milad Karimi on the podium. Kulyak was seen wearing a “Z” on his chest, clearly showing support for the Russian army.
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This publicity photo released by the Ukrainian Emergency Service shows a burnt-out car in front of a damaged city hall building in Kharkiv, Ukraine on Tuesday, March 1, 2022. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)
When Russian troops began to invade the country last month, some tanks and other equipment were marked with a white “Z”. The symbol is said to identify the vehicles as friendly to Russian forces.
The International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) condemned the apparent show of support.
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“The International Gymnastics Federation confirms that it will apply to the Gymnastics Ethics Foundation to initiate disciplinary proceedings against artistic gymnast Ivan Kulyak (Russia) following his shocking behavior at the World Apparatus Championships in Doha, Qatar,” FIG said in a statement.
A protester holds a banner with a “Z” sign in reference to Russian tanks marked with the letter during a rally organized by Serbian right-wing organizations in support of Russian attacks on Ukraine, in Belgrade, Serbia, March 4, 2022. Thousands of Serbian ultranationalists marched in Belgrade in support of Russia’s attacks on Ukraine. (Milos Miskov/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
“On March 4, the FIG took additional measures regarding Russia and Belarus. As of March 7, 2022, Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials, including judges, are not allowed to compete in FIG competitions or in FIG-sanctioned competitions.”
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The Gymnastics Federation has already condemned Russia and Belarus for the attacks.
The FIG said that Russian and Belarusian athletes have been suspended from competition indefinitely, starting March 7. An event is planned for March 10-13 in Azerbaijan.
“FIG would like to emphasize that the decision on these exceptional and urgent measures is taken in view of the aforementioned extraordinary circumstances. They are preventive measures aimed at maintaining the integrity of gymnastics, the safety and security of members, and all athletes and participants. , as well as in the fight against all forms of violence and sports injustice,” the organization said on Friday.
Ivan Kulyak wears the letter “Z” in explicit support for the Russian forces at the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships.
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“This measure does not apply to citizens of Russia and Belarus who are members of the FIG Executive Committee or the FIG Technical Committees when acting as representatives of the FIG.”