MOSCOW: Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told TASS on Friday that the ruling of the 2026 Challenge Cup in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, ...
MOSCOW: Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told TASS on Friday that the ruling of the 2026 Challenge Cup in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, to ban gymnasts from Russia from performing under the national flag was outrageous and arbitrary.
"This is an outrageous case," Peskov said at news briefing. "Our federation's relations with the global federation are fully reinstated and our gymnasts have the right to perform under the national flag and to the tune of the anthem of Russia," he noted.
"We are talking here about an absolutely arbitrary decision made by the municipal authorities of this city," Peskov added.
The Russian Gymnastics Federation (RGF) announced earlier in the day its decision to withdraw from the 2026 Rhythmic Gymnastics World Challenge Cup in the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca due to serious breaches of competition rules by the organizers.
TASS reported earlier that Cluj-Napoca Mayor Emil Boc opposed returning Russian athletes the right to compete under the national flag and anthem and stated his intention to prevent Russia’s national symbols to be displayed at the Rhythmic Gymnastics Challenge Cup in his city.
The Russian Gymnastics Federation noted that it will seek strict enforcement of World Gymnastics decisions using all available international legal mechanisms.
The 2026 Rhythmic Gymnastics World Challenge Cup is scheduled to take place in Romania’s Cluj-Napoca between June 26-28 and is an official event on the World Gymnastics calendar.
On May 18, the Executive Committee of World Gymnastics decided to lift previously imposed restrictions on Russian athletes, allowing them to compete internationally under the Russian flag. European Gymnastics later informed TASS of the decision and stated it would decide on lifting restrictions by May 24, eventually following suit.
In December 2025, the IOC Executive Board issued recommendations allowing athletes from Russia and Belarus to participate in international competitions under national flags and anthems. The recommendation applied to both individual and team sports. Numerous international sports federations followed the proposal.
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