MOSCOW, June 26. /TASS/. Russia will seek to deprive Romania of the right to host international gymnastics tournaments, Russian Sports Minister and President of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) Mikhail Degtyarev said on Friday.
The Russian Gymnastics Federation (RGF) announced earlier in the day its decision to withdraw from the 2026 Rhythmic Gymnastics World Challenge Cup in the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca due to serious breaches of competition rules by the organizers.
TASS reported earlier that Cluj-Napoca Mayor Emil Boc opposed returning Russian athletes the right to compete under the national flag and anthem and stated his intention to prevent Russia’s national symbols to be displayed at the Rhythmic Gymnastics Challenge Cup in his city.
"The most recent incident that occurred in Romania regarding the Gymnastics Challenge Cup shows that European countries are trying to treacherously violate the Olympic Charter as well as the Charter of World Gymnastics, the rules of the competition on the whole," Degtyarev stated.
"I should say that Europeans have come to believe that sports can be used as a tool of pressure and discrimination against Russia and Belarus, but it shocked them when international organizations restored justice and legality. This is when such provocations emerged," he continued.
