The Extraordinary General Assembly of the European Gymnastics Federation approved new regulations allowing Russian athletes to participate in competitions under the Russian flag and have the national anthem played.
The Russian Gymnastics Federation announced that the new decision is in line with the regulations in force at the International Gymnastics Federation, which had previously lifted restrictions on Russian and Belarusian athletes.
According to the new regulations, transitional measures will apply to tournaments that were approved before July 28, guaranteeing Russian athletes the right to participate, but the use of national symbols, including the flag and anthem, may be prohibited if the laws or mandatory requirements of the host country require it.
Thus, the European Gymnastics Union’s position became consistent with the recent decisions of the International Gymnastics Federation, which ended the sanctions imposed on Russia and Belarus and allowed athletes from both countries to return to competition.
The International Gymnastics Federation had previously revealed some details regarding the full return of Russian and Belarusian athletes, noting the possibility of applying exceptions to tournaments that were granted the right to host before the decision to lift sanctions issued in May 2026.
