Embarrassing. Neutrality remains the norm among Russian athletes since the start of the conflict in Ukraine, but more and more of them are openly displaying their support for Vladimir Putin. At the head of the procession, the gymnasts.
Our Agency TASS reports that Nikita Nagornyy, quadruple Olympic medalist, titled last summer at the Tokyo Games in the team all-around competition, participated very actively on Monday May 9 in the Victory Day parade in Moscow. Organized every year on the same date, the parade commemorates the victory of the Soviet Red Army over Nazi Germany on May 9, 1945.
The Russian gymnast paraded within the units of the national corps of young army cadets. Always according to TASS, he then confided that he wanted to call his grandparents. “ When I told them that I would participate in the Victory Parade at the head of the Yunarmiya group, they burst into tears“, explained Nikita Nagornyy.
Monday May 9, Nikita Nagornyy was not the only Russian athlete present in Moscow to display his patriotism and his support for the Kremlin regime. Angelina Melnikova, also a multiple Olympic medalist at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 in gymnastics, also paraded on Red Square.
The young woman was not afraid to show off. The site Gymnovosti published on her Twitter account a photo where she poses with a veteran of the Russian army, holding in her hand a cardboard marked with the letter Z, the militarist symbol associated with supporters of the invasion of Ukraine (pictured above).
According to Russian media, two other Olympic medalists, wrestlers Roman Vlasov and Musa Evloev, also participated in the parade on Monday May 9 in Moscow.
They are not the first. Svetlana Khorkina, one of the legends of Russian gymnastics, seven times Olympic medalist between Atlanta 1996 and Athens 2004, paved the way by sharing on her Instagram account several images of herself displaying the letter Z. One of them was accompanied by this caption: “ A campaign for those who are not ashamed to be Russian”.
Aged 43, Svetlana Khorkina has never hidden her support for the Kremlin regime. Entering politics at the end of her sporting career, she was a sports advisor to Vladimir Putin.
The ceremonies commemorating the annexation of Crimea by Russia on March 18 were also marked by the notable presence of several Russian sports figures at the Luzhniki stadium. At the top of the list, swimmer Evgeny Rylov, Olympic champion in the 100 and 200m backstroke last summer in Tokyo.
Sanctioned by the International Swimming Federation (FINA) with a suspension for having violated its rules by appearing at a political demonstration, Evgeny Rylov defended himself by explaining that he had only wanted to honor an invitation to a concert. He then defied FINA by entering the national swimming championships, despite being banned from competition.
Several other athletes, including gymnast sisters Dina and Arina Averina, took part in the commemorations at Luzhnik Stadium. Some of them even showed off their medals and the Z symbol.
A little earlier in the month, a young Russian gymnast, Ivan Kuliak, appeared on the podium of an international competition in Doha dressed in a swimsuit with the letter Z hastily sewn on. The Federation International Gymnastics (FIG) announced the opening of an investigation. Ivan Kuliak could also be suspended.
For international sporting bodies, the resolutely militaristic position of certain Russian athletes signals a serious headache. Should they be punished for displaying their patriotism? FINA ruled by suspending Evgeny Rylov for a period of nine months. But the sanction didn't seem to affect the swimmer much. He explained it to the media in his country: “ I was already banned from all competitions anyway just because of my nationality"
