Luck with an asterisk: what awaits our gymnasts after the return of the flag and anthem

Russian gymnasts, as well as representatives of four other sports, will compete for medals at major tournaments after fully returning to the international family. At a meeting in Sharm el-Sheikh, the Executive Committee of World Gymnastics decided to lift all restrictions that had been in effect in relation to the Russian Federation and Belarus since February 2022. Admission applies to athletic and artistic gymnastics, trampoline jumping, acrobatics and aerobics. What kind of upcoming starts our national team will take part in can be found in the Izvestia article.

Russian gymnasts are allowed to participate in international tournaments

In theory, the decision should also affect the upcoming European Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships, which will be held on May 27-31 in Varna (Bulgaria). Although there is no final agreement from European Gymnastics yet. The president of the Russian Gymnastics Federation Oleg Belozerov, in a comment to her press service, called the incident a crucial step for the entire world of sports.

— We welcome the decision of World Gymnastics to fully restore the rights of Russian athletes, returning them the opportunity to perform under the national flag and with the national anthem. This is an important step towards strengthening the unity of the global gymnastics community and protecting the interests of athletes. I would like to personally thank the president of the organization, Morinari Watanabe, for his consistent position, constructive approach and support for the principles of open international sports," Belozerov stressed.

Russian athletes will be able to perform under the flag and with the national anthem in the near future. So, acrobats will go to the competitions under the auspices of World Gymnastics — to the World Cup stages in Bulgaria and Azerbaijan, which will be held from 29 to 31 May, from 5 to 7 June and from 19 to 21 June. After that, the aerobic athletes will fully return to the international family — they will take part in the World Cup stages in Azerbaijan and China, and then they will go to the World Cup in Spain.

Russian trampolinists will compete at the World Cup in Switzerland and Portugal in late June and early July, while artistic gymnasts will compete at the Challenge Cup in Romania and the World Cup in Milan. The World Cup in Germany awaits them in August. The World Gymnastics Championships in the Netherlands, scheduled for autumn, will also be held with the participation of Russians under national symbols.

Russian athletes have already responded to the decision of World Gymnastics. Olympic champion Nikita Nagorny called it a positive event for Russian athletes.

"This is good news," Nikita Nagorny told Izvestia. — We said that the shifts have begun and the federations have begun to restore justice. A lot of work has been done by our federation, the President of the federation, as well as the international department. This is very good news for us. This is the greatest happiness for athletes that could happen, and the greatest motivation.

At the same time, the titled athlete stressed that he was not going to return to the gymnastic platform himself.

— Are you ready to resume your career? I am under personal sanctions in most of the countries where the qualifying events are held. Therefore, even if I were ready, it would be pointless to return," added Nagorny, who is a member of the leadership of the Movement of the First and previously headed the Unarmia.

Two-time Olympic champion in artistic gymnastics Svetlana Khorkina also commented on the full admission.

"I know that all our athletes have aspirations to qualify for the European Championships, qualify for the World Championships through it, and finally qualify for the Olympic Games," she told Izvestia. — This is a complete list of how we have lived and should live. The flag and the anthem will only encourage our guys to win, it will give them inner strength. I'm so glad.

Four-time Olympic champion in artistic gymnastics Alexei Nemov named the names of Russian gymnasts who will compete for Olympic medals.

"The emotions are the most positive, because the Olympics are ahead,— Nemov told Izvestia. — It's time for our guys to perform at the international level in full, in order to establish themselves on the big stage. We need to move on, train, and work. I am grateful to everyone who participated in this process. As for the performance at the Olympics, Arseniy Dukhno and Daniel Marinov have good chances for medals among the boys, and Angelina Melnikova among the girls.

The 2028 Summer Olympics are scheduled to take place from July 14 to July 30 in Los Angeles.

Which federations have already lifted restrictions for our athletes

The decision of World Gymnastics is not the first in recent months. International federations are gradually beginning to lift restrictions and return full-fledged status to Russian athletes. So, shortly before the gymnasts, a similar decision was made in the United World of Wrestling (UWW). On May 15, 2026, the federation completely lifted restrictions for adult Russian athletes in all disciplines — freestyle, Greco-Roman and women's wrestling.

In April 2026, World Aquatics allowed performances under the national flag and anthem at all adult tournaments, including the World Championships in swimming, diving and synchronized swimming. However, the European Federation requests that the execution of this decision be postponed until the autumn, so the appearance of our state symbols at the World Water Congress, which will be held from July 31 to August 16, 2026 in Paris (France), is still questionable.

One of the first major international organizations to restore full-fledged status to Russians was the International Judo Federation (IJF). Back in November 2025, Russians were allowed to perform under the flag and anthem at all international competitions. In January 2026, the World Taekwondo Federation made the same decision, completely lifting restrictions for adults and juniors. Our national symbols have also been officially returned in such non-Olympic sports as sambo, kickboxing, Muay Thai, MMA and bodybuilding.

A separate important point was Russia's return to the Paralympic sport. In September 2025, the IPC General Assembly, by a majority vote, restored the membership of the Russian Federation and returned the flag and anthem to competitions under its auspices.

At the same time, some federations still maintain a tough stance. World Athletics and the International Biathlon Union (IBU) do not allow Russians even in neutral status, FIFA and UEFA continue to keep our football clubs and national teams out of international tournaments, and the IIHF does not allow domestic hockey players to compete, including at the junior level. This is contrary to the recommendations of the IOC, and, apparently, this issue will have to be resolved in court.

"There is a warming, the situation among the IOC members is completely different," Shamil Tarpishchev, president of the Russian Tennis Federation and a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), told Izvestia. — It used to be very difficult for me, but now everyone is talking and discussing.

According to him, there are currently no specialists who would lobby our interests there. This is not a good situation, and the IOC will need help here.

— Kirsty Coventry is a fairly advanced president. She's from the younger generation, and I don't remember her taking initiatives to keep anyone out. The structure of work at the IOC is somewhat different now. This is reflected in the fact that now more members of the committee are involved in various problems of the organization. That is, all 115 members are involved to solve problems. This is good because there is a creative discussion," he explained.

According to Tarpishchev, in June the IOC may restore the ROC's membership in its organization.