The European Gymnastics Congress on Friday ignored a decision by the International Gymnastics Federation and voted against the return of athletes from Russia and Belarus to international tournaments from next year.
The decision was made on the opening day of the 30th congress of the European federation in the Bulgarian capital, Sofia.
“The General Assembly of European Gymnastics has voted against allowing athletes and officials from Russia and Belarus to return to official European Gymnastics competitions from 1 January 2024 onwards, thus not following the FIG decision,” it said in a statement.
The governing body had imposed an outright ban on athletes from Russia and Belarus since March last year in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
In July, the FIG executive committee decided to allow individual athletes from both countries to compete with neutral status from Jan. 1 if they meet certain criteria.
