MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 11th July, 2022) The Artistic Gymnastics Federation of Russia (AGFR) will do everything it can to ensure that its athletes are cleared of sanctions by the end of 2022, AGFR chairman Vasily Titov told Sputnik on Monday.
The International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) barred Russian and Belarusian athletes from international competitions in March over the Ukraine crisis.
"We have appealed the FIG's decision with the Court of Arbitration for Sport. We seek the removal of these decisions. I find it difficult to speak of the future outcome, but we will do our utmost to achieve the truth," Titov said.
He said the ban is harming the athletes as time constraints are critical to any sporting career.
"For the athletes and the gymnastics, where the lifespan is extremely limited, even one year is a tremendous time, but nevertheless we will seek that the issue of sanctions be resolved within this year," Titov said.
The special military operation in Ukraine has prompted a slew of foreign sanctions against Russia, including its athletes. A group of 35 countries, including the United States, have called for even tougher sanctions for Russian and Belarusian sports associations and officials, demanding their removal from senior positions in international sports federations.
On February 28, the International Olympic Committee issued a recommendation to international sports federations to bar athletes from Russia and Belarus from international competitions or only allow them to compete in neutral status.
