INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Russias Gymnastics Federation announced Wednesday that its athletes and judges will make a return to worldwide competitions.In a statement
published on its website, the federation said Russian professional athletes plan to compete in numerous upcoming events, including the 2025
Trampoline World Cup, the World Trampoline Championships and the 2025 Candidates Cup in artistic gymnastics.The Russian Gymnastics
Federation continues systematic work targeted at restoring the complete participation of Russian professional athletes in international
sporting life, the declaration read.The federation did not define whether professional athletes would contend under the Russian flag.The
announcement follows a March choice by the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG), based in Switzerland, to permit 12 Russian gymnasts to
complete as neutral athletes.In April, however, the Russian Gymnastics Federation stated those gymnasts had opted out of global events,
citing many groundless and discriminative rejections of other applicants
The federation stated it supported the athletes decision.Russian and Belarusian professional athletes were at first banned from FIG
occasions following Russias full-blown intrusion of Ukraine in 2022, a move that sidelined athletes from a nation historically dominant in
gymnastics.AFP contributed reporting.
