A Russian and a Belarusian trampoline athlete have qualified for this summer's Paris Olympics, to be held in Germany, despite German authorities denying them entry visas. DW understands that the players from Russia and Belarus who took part were instead issued visas by Spain, giving them short-term access to Germany.
Russia's Iana Lebedeva and reigning Olympic champion Ivan Litvinovich of Belarus earned enough points at the weekend's World Cup event in Cottbus to secure a spot at the Olympics. Both competed as “individual neutral athletes.”
Ukrainian sports officials have accused the pair of supporting Russia's war in Ukraine, saying it would violate neutrality rules set by the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG), the organization responsible for the event. A third neutral athlete, Vyaleta Barzilovskaya from Belarus, also met the eligibility criteria, but she has not faced the same level of criticism as Lebedeva and Litvinovich.
Ukrainian officials condemned the participation of “representatives of a terrorist state.” Adding to their anger was the news that the mother of Svitlana Markova, a member of the Ukrainian trampoline team, had been killed in a Russian missile attack in Mykolaiv on the eve of the tournament.
“Under these circumstances, Svitlana Markova supports the war and, in fact, participates in the same competition as the athletes who support the murder of her mother,” Ukrainian Olympic Committee President Vadim Guzeit said in a joint statement. I have to appear in the field,” he said. , and Ukraine's Deputy Sports Minister Matvy Bidni.
“The whole team was shocked,” Markova's coach Regina Brailova said. “Svitlana was in hysteria. Trampolining is a very dangerous sport if you are in a poor mental state. This situation made it very difficult for all Ukrainian girls to compete.”
German authorities withdraw due to visa issue
Germany has emphasized that it does not want Russians and Belarusians to compete internationally.
Before the World Cup, Germany's interior ministry told DW it had not issued visas to Lebedeva and Litvinovic, in line with earlier threats from sports-related interior minister Nancy Feser. It seems to be.
Last year, as some governing bodies eased bans on Russians and Belarusians from participating in international sports, Feser said blocking visas would allow countries to use their powers to prevent these athletes from attending major tournaments. He suggested that he could refuse the opportunity to play.
Nevertheless, Lebedeva and Litvinovich managed to find a way to evade the German authorities.
“According to local information, the players have Schengen visas issued by other member states,” an Interior Ministry spokesperson told DW. “This gives you the right to enter and stay in the entire Schengen area.”
The Schengen Area is Europe's borderless zone and there are no passport controls. This includes Germany and Spain, which signed a 2023 statement expressing “concerns about the extent to which Olympic athletes from Russia and Belarus will be able to compete as 'neutral' nations.”
The spokesperson added that under European Union visa rules, short-term visas do not normally require approval from other EU countries.
“Z” Symbol and Propaganda Event
But Ukraine maintains that Lebedeva and Litvinovich should never have been in a position to reach Cottbus in the first place.
In open letters to both FIG and the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Gutsite and Bidny shared examples of their support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
They will be held in Krasnodar in May 2023 by Lebedeva (and three of her teammates, who were also allowed to compete as neutrals by the FIG) against the backdrop of a banner with the letter “Z” It was noted that he had participated in a pro-war event. Russian military symbol.
They said Litvinovich “participated in propaganda events” with Viktor Lukashenko, the head of the Belarusian Olympic Committee and the son of Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko. Belarus is Russia's main ally.
In response to Ukraine's accusations, FIG told DW that information about the athletes in question had been passed to a special committee responsible for providing neutral status to Russian and Belarusian gymnasts. They were all “status verified” according to FIG’s neutrality rules.
German federation opposes FIG's stance
Ukrainian sports officials have also asked the German Gymnastics Federation (DTB) to intervene, calling on its president Alfons Herzl to “take action with his authority to not allow athletes from Russia and Belarus to participate.” Ta.
This letter attracted a more sympathetic response.
In his response to the officials, a copy of which was seen by DW, Herzl explained that the event in Cottbus was run under FIG rules, and that he and his organization did not understand the meaning of FIG when it came to the Russian language. He added that he was taking a “different position.” And Belarusian players.
“We represent the majority opinion of the European gymnastics community who oppose the admission of athletes, coaches and officials,” Herzl wrote. “DTB stands firmly on the side of Ukraine.”
Depending on what the FIG special committee decides next, there could be positive outcomes for Ukraine.
If a gymnast who is given neutral status is later found to have broken the rules, he or she will be disqualified and their performance will not be considered, Figure said. In that case, Lebedeva and Litvinovic would lose their Olympic spots at the World Cup event in Cottbus.
In any case, the IOC has the final say on who takes part in the Paris Games. Last week, the company announced the creation of its own three-person committee to determine the eligibility of all eligible neutral athletes.
Editor: Matt Pearson
