Body supports ban of Russians

The European Gymnastics Congress on Friday ignored a decision by the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) and voted against the return of athletes from Russia and Belarus to international tournaments from next year. The governing body had imposed an outright ban on athletes from Russia and Belarus since March last year in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In July, the FIG executive committee decided to allow individual athletes from both countries to compete with neutral status from Jan. 1 if they meet certain criteria.