Ivan Kuliak defends pro-war symbol action; says 'Ukrainians behaved very ugly'

Russian gymnast Ivan Kuliak has responded to his decision to wear the Z Symbol during the  Apparatus Gymnastics World Cup in Doha which had created quite an uproar.  The image of Ivan Kuliak wearing the Z Symbol went viral after he went on stage to collect his bronze medal which he won in parallel bars gymnastics event and stood next to a gold medalist from Ukraine.

Russia Ukraine war: Ivan Kuliak defends decision to wear pro-war symbol 

Ivan Kuliak while speaking to Russian media said, "The idea came after we saw how Ukrainians communicate with us. They behaved very ugly, shouting "Glory to Ukraine" during the competition. But the most frustrating thing was that they asked us to withdraw from the competition,". The pro-war Z symbol is currently being displayed on Russian vehicles and tanks amid the Russia Ukraine war. Kuliak wore the letter 'Z' in place of the Russian flag, which had already been banned by nearly all international sporting federations, including the gymnastics' governing body. 

The move from Ivan Kuliak saw International Gymnastics Federation, also known as FIG deciding to take disciplinary action on him for the stunt. The FIG in it's statement said, "The International Gymnastics Federation confirms that it will ask the Gymnastics Ethics Foundation to open disciplinary proceedings against male artistic gymnast Ivan Kuliak (RUS) following his shocking behaviour at the Apparatus World Cup in Doha, Qatar," 

FIG issues statement on banning Russia and Belarus athletes 

FIG in its statement said that the decision to ban Russia from international gymnastics competition was taken following the recommendations from the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The statement further said that athletes and officials from these two federations will not participate in the Acrobatic Gymnastics World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan from 10 to 13 March 2022. The Russian and Belarusian nationals who are members of the FIG Executive Committee or of FIG technical committees are not affected by this measure when acting in their capacity as FIG Authorities.