Russia gymnastics backs out of American Cup over coronavirus concerns
Russia gymnastics’ Nikita Nagornyy and Lilia Akhaimova will not attend the 2020 American Cup over coronavirus fears.
This is despite the fact that not attending will make it virtually impossible for Russia’s men’s and women’s teams to earn a +1 Olympic berth via the FIG All-Around World Cup series.
USA Gymnastics confirmed to Gymnastics Now that the Russian delegation has backed out of the competition, which is set to take place in Milwaukee, Wisc., next Saturday, March 7.
Nagornyy posted on Instagram Friday morning, originally captioning his post with, “Given the aggravation of the coronavirus (situation) around the world, the Russian national gymnastics teams will not take part in the World Cup event in the United States.”
The 2019 World team, all-around and vault champion deleted the caption soon after, updating it with the following:
“Guys, unfortunately, we won’t be able to play at the World Cup in the USA. Initially, I did not correctly accept the information from the leadership for whatever reason and made hasty conclusions. They decided not to interrupt training with long-distance flights! Thank you for understanding!”
The updated caption seems to point a finger at long-distance flights as the ultimate culprit. However, with Olympic berths on the line, it’s safe to assume the Russian federation wouldn’t be halting travel, no matter how far the distance, if there weren’t concerns over athlete health and safety.
In addition, Russian coach Valentina Rodionenko confirmed to TASS that the delegation has also withdrawn from the Tokyo World Cup.
Gymnastics Now also reached out to the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) to see if any modifications or changes would be made to the Olympic qualification process in light of the situation. The FIG responded, saying, “At this point in time there is no change. However, the FIG is in contact with the IOC regarding the World Cups that are qualifying for the Games. We will communicate on any updates.”
