A controversial picture. On the podium of a World Cup round, disputed this weekend, in Doha (Qatar), the Russian gymnast Ivan Kuliak displayed himself proudly with the letter Z on his outfit, in support of the army of his country, next to the Ukrainian winner Kovtun Illia. The International Gymnastics Federation has opened disciplinary proceedings.
In the midst of the war in Ukraine, Russian athletes were allowed to compete under the banner. And when it came time to get on the podium, Ivan Kuliak, who finished in 3and place, sported the letter Z in place of the logo of its Federation. A provocative attitude to say the least, especially since Kovtun Illia was at his side after winning the parallel bars event in front of the Kazakh Karimi Milad.
‼️Russian Ivan Kuliak wore the letter Z on his chest during the Artistic Gymnastics World Cup in Doha. ‼️
The Z is reportedly a symbol of support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Kuliak won bronze in parallel bars. Ukraine’s Kovtun Illia won gold.
pic.twitter.com/BKMJKSM1kP— Conflict Updates (@UpdateConflict) March 5, 2022
The letter Z is inscribed on Russian tanks and armored vehicles in Ukraine. It makes it possible to distinguish the tanks of the Russian army from those of Ukraine. A few days ago, the Russian Foreign Minister also explained that this sign means “victory”.
For displaying a political sign during an international competition, Ivan Kuliak, who did his military service last year, faces a sanction from the International Gymnastics Federation.
The young 20-year-old Russian gymnast is not the only one to have supported the policy led by Vladimir Putin. Svetlana Khorkina, a two-time Olympic champion and married to an army colonel, also expressed her support for the Russian army. This is also the case of Ivan Stretovich, Olympic team champion last summer in Tokyo, who posted a Z in a story on his Instagram account.