War symbol “Z” on the jersey: Russian gymnast defends scandal action

War symbol “Z” on the shirt
Russian gymnast defends scandalous action

Russian gymnast Ivan Kuliak speaks for the first time after his scandalous performance on the podium. The 20-year-old stands behind his war symbol action at the World Cup in Doha and even blames the Ukrainians.

The Russian gymnast Ivan Kuliak caused a scandal at the World Cup in Doha last weekend and must reckon with the consequences. At the award ceremony for the decision on parallel bars, the 20-year-old wore a “Z” on his jersey instead of the coat of arms as a sign of support for Russia’s war in Ukraine. The world gymnastics association FIG has now initiated disciplinary measures. The Ethics Committee was asked to open disciplinary proceedings after the “shocking behavior”.

Now, a few days later, the 20-year-old spoke up publicly for the first time: “They told us to stick something over the flag, I did that. They’ve already banned everything they can. I just wanted to show where I come from, that’s all,” he said in a statement to Telegram. “For me, the Z stands for victory and peace,” Kuliak continued. He does not regret the action.

Kuliak even blames the Ukrainians, justifying his own behavior. “The ugly way the Ukrainian athletes treated us, the way they behaved had to be seen to be believed. They started this whole political movement,” he wrote.

The letter Z, which Kuliak stuck on his jersey at the award ceremony, is also found on the Russian military vehicles and stands for the Russian combat mission in Ukraine. Many supporters of the Russian invasion also wear the Z as a sign of their allegiance to Vladimir Putin. And that’s exactly how Kuliak provoked at the World Cup.

source site-33