The scandal surrounding Olympic gold: Serhiy Bubka and a russian gymnast in the spotlight

A “Hero of Ukraine” shaking hands with a russian woman who illegally traveled to russian-occupied Crimea would sound unbelievable, you might just say. Yet, such is the reality at the 2024 Olympics in Paris. 

The games have been a rollercoaster of emotions for Ukraine, with its athletes bringing home medals of every kind. However, the 14th day of the Olympic Games in Paris was just another fly in the ointment. 

On August 9, 17-year-old Daria Varfolomeyev, originally from russia, won the women’s rhythmic individual all-around event. Born in so-called russia, Varfolomeyev has lived in Germany since 2019. Her coach, Yuliya Raskina, is Belarusian and also resides in Germany. 

But Varfolomeyev’s Instagram tells a different story — one that suggests there’s no such thing as “former russians.” In 2021, Varfolomeyev posted two reports from competitions in Crimea, a territory occupied by russia, which she clearly didn’t enter through Ukraine. 

Some might argue that her age at the time, just 14 years old, could excuse her actions — suggesting she may not have understood the legal implications. But, is this really true?

The photos, accompanied by captions, reveal that the events took place at the Krymskyi Federal Sports Center in Alushta during the All-russian Rhythmic Gymnastics Competition “Krymchanka,” held from May 31 to June 4, 2021. According to reports, 900 participants from 23 regions of russia attended the competition. 

Despite having lived in Germany for several years by then, Varfolomeyeva (using the russian spelling of her surname) represented Barnaul, her hometown in russia, at the event. Here, for example, are her results in the junior girls’ ball event at those competitions (3-16 years; born in 2006-2008).

Moreover, on December 30, 2023 — after russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine — Varfolomeyev posted a photo that appears to have been taken in her apartment. This cannot be dismissed as a mistake of youth or ignorance. The photo, which featured a world map labeled in russian, showed Ukrainian regions — including Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, Luhansk, and Crimea - marked as russian territories. The athlete’s stance on russia’s war in Ukraine is clear. By the way, following the award ceremony at the Olympics, she deleted the post in response to a backlash from Ukrainians.

These actions raise significant questions for the German Gymnastics Federation, the National Olympic Committee, and the Ministry of Sports. Are they truly comfortable with the fact that a German citizen participated in russian competitions held on occupied Ukrainian territory, in clear violation of Ukrainian law? Not only has Varfolomeyev avoided disqualification, but she continues to compete in the world’s most prestigious competitions.

The culmination was reached at Varfolomeyev’s award ceremony. The Olympic gold medal ceremony for Varfolomeyev became a point of controversy when Serhiy Bubka, a renowned athlete and former world record holder in pole vaulting, presented the award. Reminder: this is not the first time that the world record holder in pole vaulting has tolerated russians.  In fact, Bubka shook hands with the russian athlete, who publicly supported the russian invasion of Ukraine.

Well, what else could he have done, you might say! As it happens, this incident reignited discussions about Bubka’s stance on russian aggression. In 2023, an investigation by Bihus.info journalists revealed that Mont Blanc, a company owned by Serhiy Bubka and his brother Vasyl, had business dealings in the occupied territories. In May 2023, the company reportedly signed contracts with the occupying authorities for fuel supplies worth over 800,000 rubles, including a contract with the “republican treasury of the DPR”. 

The award ceremony sparked outrage on social media platforms. Critics reminded the public of Bubka’s business activities in the occupied territories and contrasted his actions with those of other Ukrainian athletes who have used international platforms to raise awareness about the war in Ukraine. On the contrary, Bubka has not said a word about russian aggression in Ukraine. Vladyslav Heraskevych, a Ukrainian skeleton racing athlete, shared a video of the ceremony and called for Bubka to be held accountable. Heraskevych suggested that Bubka should be expelled from the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine and stripped of his “Hero of Ukraine” title due to his business activities in the occupied territories. 

The incident leads us to draw parallels between the apparent attitudes of Varfolomeyev and Bubka towards russian aggression in Ukraine

Prepared by Aliona Malichenko.