“Neutral” gymnast from Russia, Sofia Ilteryakova, was the only one of the medalists at the World Cup in Baku to refuse to shake hands with European Gymnastics President Farid Garibov.
The incident occurred during the awards ceremony for the performance in the final of the hoop exercises at the World Cup in Baku. The “gold” in this discipline was won by Ukrainian Taisiya Onofriychuk, while the podium was completed by the representative of Bulgaria, Stiliana Nikolova, and the “neutral” Sofia Ilteryakova.
When the Russian received the “bronze” for her performance with the hoop in Baku, she became the only gymnast who did not shake hands with the president of European Gymnastics, Farid Garibov. Onofriychuk and Nikolova did not refuse to shake hands.
The day before, the coach and judge of the Kazakhstan national team, Meruert Balginbayeva, announced that new rules had been introduced at award ceremonies at international competitions. So Ilteryakova did not break any rules by not shaking hands with the president of the federation.
What rules have been implemented for gymnasts?
- Gymnasts and presenters must face the flags during the performance of the national anthem.
- Gymnasts do not shake hands during the awards ceremony.
- The authorized persons who award the gymnasts do not shake hands with the athletes.
- A photo session on the podium after the awards ceremony is mandatory.
- Gymnasts who took 2nd and 3rd places may come closer to the winner's podium, but they do not have the right to stand on it.
Despite Balginbayeva's statement, World Gymnastics has not yet published these instructions . The new rules are aimed at sparing athletes from conflict situations, and stories with handshakes and joint photos are of a recommendatory nature, as in other sports.
For the second time since the beginning of the season, Ilteryakova found herself in a conflict situation during the World Cup award ceremony. In Sofia, Bulgaria, the “neutral” gymnast ignored the rules and stood with her back to the Ukrainian anthem in honor of Taisiya Onofriychuk's victory.
After the anthem boycott, the Ukrainian Gymnastics Federation demanded that the Russian gymnast be stripped of her “neutral” athlete status. However, according to the decision of the FIG special committee, the Russian gymnast received a “minimal” punishment – she was given a warning.