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European Gymnastics Federation Rejects Return of Athletes from Russia, Belarus to Competition

Trampolining - FIG World Trampoline Championships - Utilita Arena Birmingham, Birmingham, Britain - November 10, 2023 Britain's Lewis Gosling in action during the men's double mini team final. (Reuters)
Trampolining - FIG World Trampoline Championships - Utilita Arena Birmingham, Birmingham, Britain - November 10, 2023 Britain's Lewis Gosling in action during the men's double mini team final. (Reuters)
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European Gymnastics Federation Rejects Return of Athletes from Russia, Belarus to Competition

Trampolining - FIG World Trampoline Championships - Utilita Arena Birmingham, Birmingham, Britain - November 10, 2023 Britain's Lewis Gosling in action during the men's double mini team final. (Reuters)
Trampolining - FIG World Trampoline Championships - Utilita Arena Birmingham, Birmingham, Britain - November 10, 2023 Britain's Lewis Gosling in action during the men's double mini team final. (Reuters)

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.

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Saudi Arabia’s Participation in Paris Olympics Part of Quality of Life Program, Al-Bakr Says

The efforts of the sports system have combined to achieve the strategic goal assigned by Vision 2030 to the Quality of Life Program. (SPA)
The efforts of the sports system have combined to achieve the strategic goal assigned by Vision 2030 to the Quality of Life Program. (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia’s Participation in Paris Olympics Part of Quality of Life Program, Al-Bakr Says

The efforts of the sports system have combined to achieve the strategic goal assigned by Vision 2030 to the Quality of Life Program. (SPA)
The efforts of the sports system have combined to achieve the strategic goal assigned by Vision 2030 to the Quality of Life Program. (SPA)

CEO of Saudi Arabia’s Quality of Life Program Khalid bin Abdullah Al-Bakr said on Friday the Kingdom’s participation in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games is part of integrated and comprehensive efforts to build a distinguished future for the sports sector in the Kingdom.

This will help reach the goals of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 in achieving sports excellence and building a vital and stimulating sports sector for young Saudi men and women.

Al-Bakr said the participation reflects the support of the country’s wise leadership for the sports sector, as well as the efforts made by the Ministry of Sports and the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee to develop the sector under the supervision of Sports Minister and Chairman of the Olympic and Paralympic Committee Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki bin Faisal.

The efforts of the sports system have combined to achieve the strategic goal assigned by Vision 2030 to the Quality of Life Program, which is “achieving excellence in several sports regionally and globally” by launching several initiatives on supporting and empowering Saudi athletes and contributing to increasing the number of athletes participating in the Olympic Games.

Since its launch in 2018, the program has offered many initiatives to develop the sports sector, Al-Bakr said. He cited the Elite Athletes Development Program, which trained and empowered Saudi players participating in the Paris Olympics, in addition to initiatives concerned with supporting and empowering women to contribute to the sports system, the Saudi Games, and building sports academies, including the establishment of Mahd Academy.

The program seeks to discover, develop, and support sports talents with the aim of creating a sports generation capable of competing in and representing the Kingdom in various regional and international events, he added.