Azerbaijani gymnast refuses medal of disqualified Russian

Member of the Azerbaijan Artistic Gymnastics Team Ivan Tikhonov did not demand the bronze medal of the World Cup stage in Doha (Qatar), which was deprived of the disqualified Russian sportsman Ivan Kulyak, azerisport.com reports.

“If Kulyak is eventually deprived of this medal, then I will not insist on transferring this award to me. I think that Vanya won in a fair fight, he won the bronze of the competition even if the result is annulled. I don't really need this medal, to be honest. At that tournament, I completed the tasks that I set for myself, and reached the finals on three apparatuses, where I performed evenly. Now I can safely go to the World Cup,” Tikhonov said.

It should be noted that during the awards ceremony, Kulyak's uniform had the letter Z made of adhesive tape in support of Russia's military aggression against Ukraine. On May 17, the disciplinary commission of the Gymnastic Ethics Foundation suspended Kulyak for a year and stripped him of his bronze medal. The Russian side filed an appeal against this decision.