The road to the Paris 2024 Games seems to be already closed for the Russian and Belarusian gymnasts. At least for the team events. According to the regulations, they should indeed participate in the next European Championships, scheduled from April 11 to 16, 2023 in Antalya, Turkey, an obligatory passage for the nations that have not yet secured their qualification. The teams present at the Paris 2024 Games will indeed be selected for the 2023 Worlds, but access to this global competition is via the continental championships. However, according to NBC Sports, the regulations of the European Union of Gymnastics (UEG) stipulate that a nation can not register for the European Championships once the date of the draw has passed. It took place on Tuesday, March 21. Still banned from international competitions, Russia and Belarus were not included in this draw. As a result, their gymnasts will not be able to participate in the next European Championships, thus losing any chance to get their ticket for the Paris 2024 Games. They will only have the possibility to qualify for the Games in the individual events. With the absence of Russia, the next Olympic tournament loses one of its major nations. At the Tokyo 2020 Games, the Russians won the gold medal in the men’s and women’s team events (photo above), under the colors of the Olympic Committee of Russia (ROC).
