Turner has to pay for scandal
World governing body bans Russians after “Z” symbol scandal
05/18/2022 2:53 p.m
In March, gymnast Ivan Kuljak caused a scandal at the award ceremony in Doha. He wears the “Z” on his jersey, symbolizing his support for Russia’s war of aggression. Now he is blocked by the world association.
Russian gymnast Ivan Kulyak has been banned for at least a year for his provocation with the “Z” symbol at the World Cup in Doha. As the world association FIG announced, the responsible ethics committee has imposed further sanctions on the 20-year-old. Kuljak was subsequently disqualified from the World Cup and has to return the bronze medal and the prize money (500 Swiss francs).
Kuljak has to contribute 2,000 Swiss francs (around 1,900 euros) to the legal costs. The sanctions apply for one year from May 17, 2022. The Russian has 21 days to appeal this decision to the responsible panel of the Ethics Committee.
Kuljak caused a scandal in Doha at the beginning of March when he wore a “Z” on his jersey instead of the coat of arms at the awards ceremony after the decision on parallel bars as a sign of support for Russia’s war in Ukraine. The letter is used by supporters of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine and stands for “za pobedu” (“For Victory”).
Since March, according to a new executive decision, athletes from Russia and Belarus are no longer allowed to participate in events under the sovereignty of the FIG until further notice. The same applies to officials and referees. For the World Cup in Doha, the FIG decision of February 26 still applied, according to which only the flags of both countries were not shown and their anthems were not allowed to be played because of the Belarus-supported Russian invasion of Ukraine.