This Gymnastics Athlete Was Criticized For Wearing The Z Symbol, Which Means Pro Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine

Ivan Kuliak (Twitter @rwesthead)

JAKARTA – Russian gymnast Ivan Kuliak has come under fire for wearing the Z symbol while competing at the Artistic Gymnastics World Cup in Qatar this week. This symbol is associated with the pro-Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Kuliak, who is 20 years old, is seen wearing a shirt with a Z symbol on the chest during the medal draping process. It so happened that in this championship many Ukrainian athletes also participated.

From this competition, Kuliak brought home a bronze medal in the parallel bars. The one who won the gold medal was a gymnast from Ukraine, Kovtun Illia, who was standing next to Kuliak on the podium.

His attitude made him likely to be sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG). FIG has said it will investigate with the threat of disciplinary sanctions against Kuliak.

"The Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG) confirms that it will request the Gymnastics Ethics Board to open disciplinary proceedings against Ivan Kuliak following his shocking behavior at the World Championships in Doha, Qatar", the FIG statement read.

The 'Z' symbol was recently changed to a pro-Russian invasion of Ukraine. Recently, many politicians and influencers who are pro-Putin are seen wearing the same symbol on their clothes.

Z stands for 'Za Pobedy' which means 'For victory'. In the invasion of Ukraine, the Russian military affixed or inscribed this symbol all over their tanks.

Russian teams and athletes are currently facing intense global scrutiny since Vladimir Putin's troops invaded Ukraine last month. Many of them are prevented from competing in international events.

On Saturday last week, Russian Formula 1 (F1) driver Nikita Mazepin was even released by the Haas team. In fact, initially, he was given a guarantee that his place in the team would be safe if he competed under a neutral flag.

Meanwhile, tough sanctions for Russia were given by the parent international football (FIFA) and the parent football union of the European Union (UEFA). Both bodies banned the Russian national team and clubs from participating in international events.