Ivan Kuliak took third place at the World Cup in Doha. After the competition, the young Russian stood on the podium in a T-shirt with the letter “Z” on his chest. Kuliak’s behavior was all the more scandalous that on his left – on the highest step of the podium – stood a Ukrainian, Ilya Kovtun. However, this did not prevent the Russian from proudly presenting the sign that became a symbol of his country’s invasion.
For Kuliak, it was the last chance for a political demonstration, because the gymnastics federation decided that no athletes from Belarus would start in the next competitions in Cairo and Baku.
Ukrainian trainer shocked by Kuliak’s behavior. “We couldn’t believe it”
Several days have passed since the scandalous behavior of Ivan Kuliak, but the echoes of that event have not died down. His approach is shown as the perfect reason to remove Russian athletes from international competition in any sport. Shocked by the behavior of the Russian is the trainer of the Ukrainian, Ilia Kovtun, who admits that she could not believe what his rival did.
– The behavior of Ivan Kuliak once again proves the inferiority of thinking of the Russian people, which has been turned into a zombie nation. Initially, none of us noticed this sign. We were surprised that Ivan did not enter the podium in a tracksuit, but in a competitive outfit, because the regulations prohibit it – says Iryna Nadiuk in an interview with the portal.
– Being already at the podium, he suddenly burst into tears. Ilia saw that his rival was very upset and invited him to the podium to take a photo together, because this is what tradition dictates. He showed support and respect for him. My player was human. It could have been a hint for the rival as to how he should behave, but as you can see, he is already lost to us. Like most of the Russian people, they support the war, the Ukrainian trainer admitted.
– We had a good opinion about this boy so far. And now it turns out that Kuliak supports the war. So let it go there. Let him go to war, instead of crying at the podium – she added.
The International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) has already initiated disciplinary proceedings against Kuliak himself. .
Source: Sport
Tristin is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his in-depth and engaging writing on sports. He currently works as a writer at 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the sports industry.
