Turkey may refuse to host European Artistic Gymnastics Championships after earthquake that killed tens of thousands, Russian national team head coach tells Valentina Rodionenko.
The European Championship will take place from April 11 to 16 in Antalya (Turkey). Several earthquakes hit the country in February, killing more than 40,000 people.
– We are waiting for some messages (about the admission of the Russian team). There will be IOC, FIG meetings, so we are waiting for official news. It is important for us to qualify for the Olympics, if we get the green light.
The most difficult moment is passing the selection, I have no doubt that we will pass it if we are allowed to. At the beginning of April, there will be the European Championship, it was planned in Turkey, but it is unlikely that it will host the tournament after the earthquake. This place was convenient for us, there are no visas for Russians. So we are waiting who will replace Turkey.
Europe can allow us to speak with FIG sanction, and FIG refers to IOC recommendations, Rodionenko told .
In February 2022, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recommended that sports federations prevent Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing due to the situation in Ukraine. At the end of January, the IOC announced that it would consider the possibility of allowing Russians and Belarusians who did not actively support the SVO to participate in international competitions in a neutral status.
Source : MatchTV
I’m John White and I’m an experienced journalist working in the news industry. My specialty is covering sports news, which I’ve been doing for over 6 years now. During this time, I have worked as an author with Athletistic, a popular online news website focusing on sports topics.
