He was competing a World Cup event in Doha
A Russian gymnast has sparked fury after he wore a Russian war symbol on his shirt while sharing the podium with a Ukrainian competitor.
Ivan Kuliak finished third on the parallel bars at a World Cup event in Doha, with Ukrainian Ilia Kovtun topping the podium at the event.
But as the two stood side by side, there was a clearly visible ‘Z’ on Kuliak’s shirt, that he appeared to have taped onto his top.
Kuliek stood alongside his Ukrainian rival Illia Kovtun on the podium, with the pro-war symbol emblazoned across his shirt (Twitter)The letter ‘Z’ represents ‘victory’ in Russian, and has been seen on a number of Russian tanks and military vehicles during their invasion of Ukraine.
Kuliak has a history with the military, having received training with the Russian army last year, the Mail reports.
The ‘Z’ symbol was wear the Russian flag would have been on his shirt, but the International Gymnastics Federation has followed suit with the rest of sport by banning the Russian flag and cancelling all events in Russia and Belarus.
It's very clearly taped on over the ROC symbol. Not a good look at all.
The picture on the right was taken in Balashikha on 24.11.21, which shows him at a military base. It seems he's undergone military training with the Russian Army very recently. https://t.co/XgGlj5QVCB pic.twitter.com/pThNmpXo1S
— Craig Tilley 🇺🇦 (@CraigTilley95) March 5, 2022
The gesture from Kuliak was branded as “pathetic” by one user on Twitter, with another saying it explained why sport organisation were “kicking out Russians from competitions.”
For those of you asking, why are sport organizations kicking out #Russians from competitions? This is why. They are subhuman monsters just like their mafia boss.
Middle: Illia Kovtun – Ukraine – winner
Right – wearing the Z symbol – Ivan Kuliak from Russia, Putin slave#FCKPTN pic.twitter.com/CNVa00tZuG— Bogdan (@b_bogdann) March 6, 2022
A number of Putin supporters have been seen wearing the ‘Z’ symbol to show their support for the war. Russia Today, the state-run TV channel, has even been selling ‘Z’ merchandise.
Across sport, Russian athletes have been banned from competing as the country’s invasion of Ukraine continues.
There are hopes that ceasefires on Sunday will allow civilians to evacuate besieged cities.
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- SAS soldier tells Brits ‘Don’t Go To Ukraine – Stay Home And Play Call Of Duty’
