Russia: Olympic rhythmic gymnastic results forged
Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova accused on Saturday the judges at the individual rhythmic gymnastic competition at the 2020 Summer Olympics of making a “forgery against Russia in front of the whole world” by not awarding Dina Averina the gold medal.
Zakharova commented that what happened was another sign of the “Russophobic war against sports” that aims to prevent Russian athletes from winning. At this year’s Olympics, Russia is competing as the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) instead of under its own name and symbols for allegedly creating and sponsoring a state-run doping program for its athletes. Moscow has been strongly denying those claims.
Earlier in the day, Linoy Ashram from Israel won the gold medal in the individual rhythmic gymnastic event despite, as many experts and former competitors, especially from Russia, pointed out, dropping a ribbon during one of her exercises. Averina, who did not make any of the mistakes she might be deducted points for, won the silver. That marks the first time since 1996 the gold medal in this discipline was not won by a Russian gymnast.
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