Irina Viner was suspended from international competitions
Wiener will not be able to compete either as a coach or in any other official capacity. The ban is valid for two years, but the countdown of this period will begin only one day after the lifting of the federation’s sanctions against the Russian team.
The International Gymnastics Federation has suspended the head coach of the Russian national team Irina Viner from the competition. Viner will not be able to take part in the competition either as a coach or as head of delegation or in any other official status. The reason for the restrictions is the scandalous statements of the gymnast after the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, when the Russian woman Dina Averina, following the results of the individual all-around, lost gold to the Israeli Lina Ashram with a margin of 0.150 points. The coach called the decision of the judges “egregious” and “ugly”.
Now Irina Viner will not be able to participate in international competitions for two years, but the countdown of this period will begin only one day after the lifting of the sanctions of the Gymnastics Federation against the Russian team. World champion in athletics Yolanda Chen comments:
“The fact is that, in principle, in general at the Olympics, at sports competitions, this very often happens. There are a lot of scandalous statements and scandals in figure skating, and in any other, especially subjective, sports where judges are present. So it seems to me that both the IOC and all federations, in principle, are used to this, there is nothing wrong with that. Yes, it is necessary to understand, to resolve the issue. But to impose sanctions, firstly, already a year after it all happened, against people who have invested such a huge amount of effort, knowledge in general in international rhythmic gymnastics, I consider it absolutely unacceptable. Because a person like Irina Alexandrovna is the locomotive of international rhythmic gymnastics. Yes, of course, there are excellent teams in Bulgaria, and Spain, and Ukraine, and there are wonderful schools there, and excellent coaches, and specialists, and leaders of these federations, but still, Irina Aleksandrovna Viner is always associated with rhythmic gymnastics in all countries of the world , and, in my opinion, other federations even recognize this. I think that Irina Alexandrovna will stand it, she is a persistent, lively person. And in any case, she will lead and glorify our rhythmic gymnastics in the future and help the girls prepare for the Olympics, if they suddenly let us in even in a neutral status. This will not affect the national rhythmic gymnastics in any way, because Irina Aleksandrovna will do this here in our country, but the fact that sanctions have been imposed against her and she will not be allowed to participate in some international competitions, I think she has excellent trained personnel who will work with our athletes”.
The proceedings against Wiener began after a complaint by Natalya Kuzmina, who during the Tokyo Olympics served as head of the technical committee. It was with her refereeing that Wiener linked the results of the Russians. In 2021, Russia withdrew Kuzmina’s candidacy in the re-election of the head of the committee. The International Federation still put Kuzmina on the list of candidates.
