At a gymnastics World Cup event in Doha, Qatar that happened this past week, the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) criticized Russian athlete Ivan Kuliak for wearing a ‘Z’ symbol taped to his leotard while standing next to Ukrainian athlete Illia Kovtun on the podium.
For those who don’t know, the ‘Z’ symbol has been displayed on tanks and vehicles used by the Russian military during its invasion of Ukraine. The symbol is a sign of support for the invasion, and according to Galina Starovoitova Fello Kamil Galeez, "Some interpret "Z" as "Za pobedy" (for victory). Others - as "Zapad" (West).” For the past weeks, propaganda videos on social media have shown supporters of President Vladimir Putin wearing clothing featuring the ‘Z’ symbol
Head of the Artistic Gymnastics Federation of Russia (FSGR) Vasily Titov told Russian publications that Kuliak has the governing body’s full support. “I don’t think Ivan wanted to make a special demonstration, but we will support him in any case,” Titov said. More has not been released, but Titov ended by saying, "It was a violation of the uniform approved by the FIG. I think that they can punish, they can also remove us from participation. But we were already removed.
In a statement on Friday, the FIG announced that starting March 7, Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials would not be allowed to take part in any FIG-sanctioned competitions, following advice from the International Olympic Committee.
Personally, I view Ivan’s action as a sign of disrespect. There is always a time and place to do certain things, but with what is going on in the world right now, what did he expect?
https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/07/sport/ivan-kuliak-russian-gymnastics-ukraine-z-spt-intl/index.html
What is your stance on athlete Ivan Kuliak wearing the ‘Z’ symbol?
How would you take action if you had the opportunity to create the consequences for Russia?
How could the US continue to spread awareness and support Ukraine?
6 comments:
I think with the current Ukraine invasion, the "Z" is really disrespectful to what's happening in the world right now. Even if it meant victory, he had to have known that it wouldn't have been taken kindly by anyone else. I don't think there's really any way to create any mass consequence for Russia that would stop Putin's actions based on the decisions that have already been made; drastic decisions seem to cross the possibility of a nuclear fallout. I don't think there's any way for the US to spread more awareness, most people already know about the Ukraine invasion through social media, television, the news, etc. Although the US is sending financial support to Ukraine (if I remember correctly), I don't think there's much else possible. Sending military support would be ideal but also seems dangerous due to possible nuclear weapons.
I am shocked to hear about this. Especially as Kuliak was standing next to a Ukrainian gymnast, I'd agree with you that this was disrespectful and inconsiderate. I think I agree with the FIG's decision to remove Russian athletes from the competition; it was good that they sought advice from the International Olympic Committee.
As disrespectful as wearing the symbol was, we haven't heard directly from Kuliak on his intentions (I looked around on the internet a bit). He should have been aware of the symbolism with current events though.
To relate a bit to class, this regards the freedom of speech. With the Tinker case, it did not result in a major disruption so it was ruled constitutional. However, this gymnast case seems to be causing quite a disturbance. I'm less familiar with speech liberties internationally, but I think there is room for debate on Kuliak's actions.
I totally agree. This is a huge display of disrespect. Not only that, but given the history of Russia’s state sponsored doping(which not much effective action was taken against), followed by the recent cheating by the gymnast Valieva, I see a history of bigotry amongst the Olympic commission. Why is it that the athlete Sha’Carri Richarshon couldn’t participate due to pot, yet the recent figure skater Kamila Valieva was allowed to participate while on a drug that actually can help her performance? The Olympic committee shouldn’t be allowed to pick and choose who to allow to compete, it just creates unfairness. If you fail the drug test, you should be eliminated. And if you show any disrespect towards other athletes, such as this massive disrespect shown by the gymnast with the Z symbol, you should be eliminated as well. This is totally against the spirit of the Olympics.
I agree that this was disrespectful of Ivan Kuliak. To start, gymnasts are given a certified leotard to wear for competitions, and taping a 'Z' to it is not only against policy but also a sign of ignorance to Ukraine's citizens' current suffering. FIGs decision to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials from further participation in major international competitions like the Olympics and World Cup through December 16 was good because it really emphasizes that Kuliak's actions were unacceptable. Additionally, the World Anti-Doping Agency stated that athletes who can prove they have no doping intentions can still compete in competitions as long as they show no association with Russia. This is also a good decision because it condemns Russia for its actions but still gives these athletes the opportunity to compete.
https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/05/sport/gymnastics-federation-ban-russia-belarus-spt-intl/index.html
I agree with my peers that Kuliak’s actions were extremely disrespectful and I agree with the FIG decision. To answer the third question posed, I think that the U.S. has done a good job spreading awareness about the events happening during the war in Ukraine, but we can do a better job spreading awareness about how individuals and communities can support Ukraine. For example, highlighting specific charities that are dedicated to helping the citizens of Ukraine and making people aware of donation drives near them could be really important. It’s up to the media to do this, whether that’s traditional media or social media. Even just a quick Instagram post that spreads around to thousands of people about a big charity that’s helping Ukrainian citizens or a donation drive happening soon can not only show individuals that they have opportunities to help, but also bring people even closer together in their support for Ukraine. Reporting on what’s going on is extremely important and this shouldn’t decrease, but we need to increase people’s awareness on how they can help so that individuals and the U.S. can both take action to help Ukraine.
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