Deputy of the Russian State Duma of the Russian Federation, Dmitry Svishchev, announced that they will be supporting their gymnast Ivan Kuli...
Deputy of the Russian State Duma of the Russian Federation, Dmitry Svishchev, announced that they will be supporting their gymnast Ivan Kuliak who is facing disciplinary action following his shocking behavior at the 2022 Doha World Cup.
"This is our athlete, we must provide him with support. His personal opinion is based on his beliefs and emotions. The Ukrainian delegation plays a big role in this matter, they demand removal. They almost accuse him of eating small children. The International Federation can impose sanctions on our athlete, we see how the world is now behaving towards Russian athletes. We will protect Kulyak. The Gymnastics Federation will do everything to ensure that the punishment is minimal. If he needs legal assistance, we will provide it, ”Svishchev said according to Google Translate.
The 20 year old gymnast wore the letter Z, the symbol of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, while competing at the 2022 Doha World Cup which was held from 2 to 5 March 2022.
He wore it while performing on the parallel bars at the event final, where he won a bronze medal, and continued to wear it while sharing the podium with Ukrainian gymnast and gold medalist Illia Kovtun.
According to Russia Today, the Gymnastics Ethics Foundation (GEF) has formally opened proceedings against the Russian athlete.
Kuliak has previously said that he has no regrets and that if he had a chance to do it again, he'd do it the same.
He has been supported by notable Russian gymnasts like Olympic champion Alexei Nemov and four time Olympic medalist Maria Paseka.
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