Russia skips trampoline World Cup stage in Coimbra over flag ban

Russia's trampoline gymnastics team chose not to take part in the fourth World Cup stage in Coimbra, Portugal, in July 2026. The reason was a restriction that barred Russian athletes from competing under their national flag and with other national symbols.

Since 2022, following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, international gymnastics bodies have limited Russian participation. Where athletes were admitted at all, they were generally required to compete as neutral individuals, without the flag, anthem or national colours. Russian officials have repeatedly criticised these conditions as discrimination and said they were unacceptable for the country's team.

The decision meant that Russian trampolinists were absent from one of the stages of the international World Cup series, which gives athletes ranking points and a chance to measure form ahead of major championships. It also showed that Russia preferred to stay away rather than accept competing in neutral status. The episode became an early point in a longer dispute over whether and under what conditions Russian gymnasts could return to international events, a question that later came to a head at the trampoline world championships.