German clubs terminate Russian gymnast contracts

Clubs in the German Bundesliga have terminated the contracts of Russian artistic gymnasts as a response to the military operation in Ukraine according to a member of the Russian Olympic Committee’s (ROC) gold medal-winning team at Tokyo 2020.

Artur Dalaloyan, who represented Schwabisch Gmund-Wetzgau last season, confirmed the news to Russian media outlet Tass.

“All German clubs have abandoned Russian athletes, and at least in the next six months we will definitely not play in the Bundesliga,” the 25-year-old said.

“The same letters were sent to the rest of the guys, including David Belyavsky and Nikita Nagornyy,” Dalaloyan added, saying that the decision was influenced “by the difficult political situation in the world”.

While the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) prohibited Russian athletes from competing in international events in March when following an International Olympic Committee (IOC) recommendation, the ban does not apply to domestic national leagues.

This meant that the likes of Belyavsky, at KTV Straubenhardt, plus Nikita Ignatiev and Ivan Stretovich who competed for StTV Singen, looked like they could continue plying their trade until they had their contracts rescinded.

Thus far, however, Vladislav Polyashov, who represents current champion side TuS Vinnhorst, is not believed to have had his current arrangement terminated.

With competitions set for April 23 in Naples, Dalaloyan will continue to represent Gymnastic Romagna in the Italian Serie A but has pulled out of the ongoing Russian national championships with injured hands after winning the individual all-round event with a score of 163.229 points in Kazan.

To Match TV, though, Nagornyy also confirmed the severing of ties German outfits have made from Russian gymnasts except Polyashov, and revealed that those now without contracts might follow Dalaloyan’s lead and “perhaps” also soon “move to Italian clubs”.

“These are commercial competitions, but participation in them is important to me not from the point of view of money, but from [a sporting] point of view – competition, the opportunity to see rivals,” Nagornyy, who won gold alongside Dalaloyan in Tokyo, stressed.