Standing on ceremony: Russian athletes face double standards and podium posturing (VIDEO)

The head coach of Russia’s national rhythmic gymnastics team has denied that young gymnast Sofia Ilteryakova disrespected Ukraine during an award ceremony.

The incident occurred on Monday at the 2026 Rhythmic Gymnastics World Cup in Sofia, Bulgaria. Ilteryakova, competing as a neutral athlete, finished second in the hoop event. Ukraine’s Taisiya Onofriychuk took first place and Italy’s Sofia Raffaeli placed third.

As the Ukrainian anthem played, Onofriychuk and Raffaeli turned to face their national flags, while Ilteryakova remained standing still, facing the opposite direction.

World Gymnastics, the global governing body, opened an investigation into the matter, while the Ukrainian Gymnastics Federation said Ilteryakova was “openly demonstrating disrespect” toward Ukraine’s national symbols and had committed “a form of passive aggression against Ukrainian athletes.”

Tatyana Sergayeva, the head coach of the Russian team, defended the 15-year-old gymnast.

“Sofia Ilteryakova participated in the World Cup for the first time, making her debut at such a high-level competition,” Sergayeva said on Wednesday in a statement on the website of the Russian Gymnastics Federation. “She may have been a little confused during the award ceremony, which is entirely natural for an athlete competing at this level for the first time,” she added.

There has been tension between Russian and Ukrainian athletes due to the ongoing armed conflict between the two countries. In 2025, Onofriychuk refused to pose for a photo during two award ceremonies with Moscow-born Vera Tugolukova, who represents Cyprus.

The same year in Egypt, Ukrainian synchronized swimmers Darya Moshinskaya and Anastasia Shmonina similarly declined to shake hands or pose for photos with their Russian competitors, Maya Doroshko and Tatyana Gayday.

Last month, Ukrainian wrestler Artur Kostyuk stepped down from the podium in Serbia when the Russian anthem began playing and turned his back on the national flags.

Russia has condemned these incidents as violations of fair play and unsportsmanlike behavior.