Ivan Vitalievich Kuliak (; born 28 February 2002) is a Russian

artistic gymnast Artistic gymnastics is a discipline of gymnastics in which athletes perform short routines on different types of apparatus. The sport is governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG), which assigns the '' Code of Points'' used ...

. He is the 2019 Russian Junior all-around and floor champion and the

horizontal bar The horizontal bar, also known as the high bar, is an apparatus used by male gymnasts in artistic gymnastics. It traditionally consists of a cylindrical metal (typically steel) bar that is rigidly held above and parallel to the floor by a syst ...

silver medal A silver medal, in sports and other similar areas involving competition, is a medal made of, or plated with, silver awarded to the second-place finisher, or runner-up, of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, ...

ist. In March 2022, he gained notoriety for displaying a pro-invasion Z symbol during a medal ceremony, shortly after the beginning of the

Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...

Career

Kuliak took up gymnastics at age 4 in 2006 in Kaluga, Russia, when his mother enrolled him in gymnastics classes. In 2019 Kuliak became the Russian Junior all-around and floor champion and the silver medalist on horizontal bar. He represented Russia at the

2019 European Youth Summer Olympic Festival The 2019 European Youth Summer Olympic Festival was held in Baku, Azerbaijan, between 21 and 27 July 2019. Sports The following competitions took place: Venues Schedule The competition schedule for the 2019 European Youth Olympic Summer Fes ...

and won the silver medal in the individual all-around, a bronze on floor and still rings and a silver medal as part of the Russian team.
europeangymnastics.com In 2019 he received the title Master of Sports of Russia, Master of Sports.

2022 World Cup controversy

In March 2022, Kuliak wore a "Z" sticker on his chest during the medal ceremony of the parallel bars competition at the 2022 FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Cup series in

Doha Doha ( ) is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor (city), Al Khor and Lusail, it is home to most of the country's population. It ...

. "Z", a letter which is not part of the Cyrillic alphabet, is a tactical marking used by Russian invading forces in Ukraine. Thus, it has become a pro-war symbol. Kuliak displayed the symbol while standing on the podium next to a Ukrainian athlete,

Illia Kovtun Illia Yuriiovych Kovtun (; born 10 August 2003) is a Ukrainian Artistic gymnastics, artistic gymnast. He is the 2023 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, 2023 World all-around silver medalist and 2021 World Artistic Gymnastics Championship ...

, who won the event. The

FIG The fig is the edible fruit of ''Ficus carica'', a species of tree or shrub in the flowering plant family Moraceae, native to the Mediterranean region, together with western and southern Asia. It has been cultivated since ancient times and i ...

prior to the competitions decided to exclude Russian athletes from the competitions, but the prohibition only entered in force on 7 March. On 6 March the FIG announced that they will ask the Gymnastics Ethics Foundation to open disciplinary proceedings against Kuliak. In a subsequent interview, on Tuesday 8 March, Kuliak said that he had no regrets and would "do exactly the same". On 18 March, he appeared at the

2022 Moscow rally The 2022 Moscow rally, officially known in Russia as "For a world without Nazism" (), was a political rally and concert at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow on 18March 2022, which marked the eighth anniversary of the annexation of Crimea by the Russi ...

wearing an Olympic medal, though he has not competed in the Olympics. On 17 May the FIG sanctioned Kuliak with a one-year ban, ending 17 May 2023 or six months after the ban on Russian athletes is lifted and ruled that he is to be stripped of his bronze medal and prize money. On 14 September it was announced that Kuliak's appeal against his suspension was partially upheld. The Gymnastics Ethics Foundation (GEF) Appeal Tribunal found that the one-year sanctions should be independent from measures preventing Russian gymnasts from competing at FIG events. This means his suspension would last until May 16, 2023.

Competitive history

Notes

References

External links

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Ivan Kuliak profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kuliak, Ivan Russian male artistic gymnasts Living people 2002 births Sports controversies Banned sportspeople Russian nationalists Sportspeople from Kaluga 21st-century Russian sportsmen