Russia Accuses Romania of Politicising Sport
Moscow Reacts Sharply After Russian Gymnastics Team Barred from Using National Flag and Anthem
Moscow. Russia has strongly protested against the decision to prevent Russian athletes from using their national symbols at the 2026 FIG Rhythmic Gymnastics World Challenge Cup being held in Romania.
In a comment issued on June 27, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Russian participants in the competition, taking place in Cluj Napoca from June 26 to 28, had faced yet another case of arbitrary action and politicisation of international sport.
According to Zakharova, despite recent decisions by the International Gymnastics Federation and the European Gymnastics Union to lift existing restrictions and restore the rights of Russian athletes, the Russian team was not allowed to use its national flag and anthem at the World Challenge Cup in Romania.
She said that, under such circumstances, the Russian side’s refusal to participate in the competition was “the only possible and logical response.”
The Russian Foreign Ministry said the restrictions imposed on Russian gymnasts in Romania were maintained due to efforts by the local mayor. Zakharova accused the local official of resorting to routine political statements about countering the so called “aggressor state.”
She also criticised the organisers of the event and the Romanian authorities, saying neither had dared to oppose the local official’s decision. According to Zakharova, the official appeared to have used the issue to raise his own political standing.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said the incident reflected the results of what it described as anti Russian sentiment cultivated in Romania in recent years. Zakharova said such behaviour exposed disorder inside Romania, where “random figures” were allowed to act arbitrarily and bring shame on a country that, in Moscow’s view, is unable to ensure equal conditions for participants in major international competitions.
She added that a country unable to provide equal conditions for all participants should not claim the right to host such competitions.
Zakharova warned that the Russian side would not ignore the issue.
The incident has once again brought the debate over political pressure in international sport, the use of national symbols and equal rights for athletes to the forefront. Moscow’s position is that turning sport into an instrument of political pressure contradicts the basic spirit of the Olympic and international sporting movement.
