Olympic champion Alina Kabaeva reacted to the decision of the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) to allow Russian gymnasts to compete with a neutral status.<blockquote>“We welcome the decision of the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) to allow Russian athletes to compete. However, this is not enough. Russian athletes should have the right to compete under their own flag. The monopoly of individual countries on international sports organizations is unacceptable. The involvement of politics in sport destroys it. At the same time,&nbsp; we need to create an international sports system that would be free of politics.”&nbsp;</blockquote>The decision to allow Russian athletes to compete under the auspices of FIG was made public on July 19.&nbsp; The decision also applies to the qualifying tournaments for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Gymnasts who receive the neutral status will be able to compete starting January 1, 2024.

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Opinion

Olympic champion Alina Kabaeva reacted to the decision of the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) to allow Russian gymnasts to compete with a neutral status.

Alina Kabaeva commented on FIG’s decision about the admission of Russian gymnasts to tournaments

Olympic champion in artistic gymnastics Nikita Nagorny explained what the Alina 2025 Festival means for him and compared it and the performance at major competitions:&nbsp;<blockquote>"Performing at the show evokes special emotions and feelings. It is important for us that we can inspire and convey those emotions that are impossible to get from competitions with the help of a creative program, script, team, and decorations."</blockquote>He also revealed the idea of the routine where he takes part:&nbsp;<blockquote>"Our performance is about the fact that even when there were military actions, when the Great Patriotic War was going on, sports still continued. We personify sports through this performance and show that there are no barriers that can stop the sports life of each person. We have devoted quite a lot of time to big-time sports, the skills we have developed are in us forever. And sometimes you want to show them. For us, the show is an opportunity to re-experience the emotions we experienced on the big international stage. This is a large number of spectators, this is the meaning of the number and the emotions we convey and receive."</blockquote>

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The Alina Festival

Olympic champion in artistic gymnastics compared the festival and the performance at major competitions and also revealed the idea of the routine where he participates.

Nikita Nagorny told us what the Alina 2025 Festival means for him

Choreographer and stage director Eldar Saifutdinov explained the distinctive features of the Alina 2025 Festival:&nbsp;<blockquote>"The dramaturgy is absolutely unprecedented. This is not just the 80th victory anniversary. This is the memory of children who sacrificed themselves, who risked immeasurably. And, of course, this is reflected in the festival and in the hearts of the audience. It is impossible to be indifferent to this."</blockquote>He shared the details of working on the routines with artists from different cities:&nbsp;<blockquote>"There were Chelyabinsk, Yekaterinburg, Sochi, many, many cities within the framework of this festival. And we did not have time to go everywhere, and our friends, for example, in Chelyabinsk staged performances for Nizhny Tagil, we, being in Yekaterinburg, staged episodes for Murmansk. In general, the whole country choreographed this festival. If we are not only talking about Russia, we went to our friends in Kyrgyzstan."</blockquote>The choreographer and stage director also spoke about new trends of this year:<blockquote>"Contemporary music is predominant this year, despite the fact that there are, of course, the immortal ‘Victory Day’ and several other compositions, but there is a lot of contemporary music. And the approach to modern times is reflected not only in the music, but also in the invited artists. In addition to rhythmic gymnastics, we have stunt performers, we have guys from parallel gymnastics directions — artistic gymnastics, acrobatics, aerial gymnastics."</blockquote>The Alina 2025 Festival will be held on April 18 in the Martial Arts Academy.

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The choreographer and stage director told us about the distinctive features of the Alina 2025 Festival.

"The whole country choreographed this festival!" Eldar Saifutdinov speaks about Alina 2025 preparations

Due to the emerging cases of mailings sent on behalf of the Alina Kabaeva Charitable Foundation representatives, we’d like to state that the foundation does not send letters and does not practice any fundraising.&nbsp;These letters are sent by scammers and have nothing to do with the foundation, the Olympic champion, the Academy, or the International Sky Grace Rhythmic Gymnastics Clubs&nbsp; Association.&nbsp;Please exercise caution.

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Academy Life

Due to the emerging cases of mailings sent on behalf of the Alina Kabaeva Charitable Foundation representatives, we’d like to state that the foundation does not send letters and does not practice any fundraising.

Important information!

Evgeniya Finkelstein worked as a judge at the All-Russian Sky Grace Cup competition at the Academy.After the competition, the specialist noted how well prepared the participants were.<blockquote>"The gymnasts are very strong, actually the whole Russian national team was present here. The struggle was very intense. We saw today in group exercises how the girls struggled, we did not know who would win until the very end. Same in the individuals," she said.</blockquote>She also shared her impressions of working with her colleagues, the International Sky Grace Rhythmic Gymnastics Clubs Association judges.<blockquote>"I supervised the artistry panel here. I was called as an independent judge. Sky Grace judges are very well prepared exactly in the artistry panel. They learned the rules very well, judged very well, and therefore we have almost no differences during this competition," the judge said.</blockquote>Evgeniya noted an interesting detail in the International Sky Grace Rhythmic Gymnastics Clubs Association judges rules.<blockquote>"There is a moment I like so much. In the execution panel here, if you catch the ball with two hands, the penalty is 0.3. The penalty is 0.1 under the FIG program. This is a great upside indeed and the gymnasts endeavor to catch by one hand or generally without support and without the visible contact, without hands overall," she added.</blockquote>The All-Russian Sky Grace Cup competition was held from April 10 to 14 in Sirius.

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The All-Russian Sky Grace Cup competition was held from April 10 to 14 in Sirius.

"We didn't know who would win until the very end!" Judge Evgeniya Finkelstein on the All-Russian Sky Grace Cup competition

Participants in the All-Russian Sky Grace Cup competition told us about fascinating elements they had included into the programs under rules of the Sky Grace International Clubs Association.&nbsp;Varvara Baranova from the Omsk Region shared with us that she had inserted a triple combination element to all the exercises:&nbsp;<blockquote>"I worked much more. We reviewed mistakes, made some changes in the program. We added a combined triple element from FIG rules to all four types."</blockquote>She noted that gymnasts support each other outside the floor:<blockquote>"The competitors on the floor only, during competitions. And all the gymnasts actually keep company with each other. We support each other."</blockquote>Arina Rekvava from Moscow told how he had changed the program for the competition in Sirius and also highlighted the gymnasts she remembered:&nbsp;<blockquote>"We added an element and also added a combined one, and we changed some skills. I spin very well when doing the sideward pivot and the fouetté. The score can also very high in the artistic component if performing so artistically indeed, with accents. I mainly watched Masha Borisova and Veronika Malinina also. They are so pretty, agile."</blockquote>Rhythmic gymnastics helped her to make friends with other athletes, the gymnast also noted:<blockquote>"I came and we immediately became very good friends. We support each other greatly."</blockquote>Varvara Baranova and Arina Rekvava perform among candidate masters of sports at the All-Russian Sky Grace Cup competition.

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Gymnasts perform among candidate masters of sports at the All-Russian Sky Grace Cup competition.

Varvara Baranova and Arina Rekvava spoke about eye-catching elements in programs under rules of the Sky Grace International Clubs Association

Silver medalist Ulyana Yanus summarizes her performance at the All-Russian Sky Grace Cup competition:<blockquote>"I am happy that I did not let the coaches, the Omsk Region down, that I managed to correct some mistakes from the all-around. I failed with the ribbon in the all-around. I tried to correct these mistakes in the finals."</blockquote>She also explained what she is working on at workouts and how she prepares for competitions:<blockquote>"I will work and work more, add difficulty, add artistry to my performance. I will endeavor to show myself even better at the next competition. I try every day at workouts to learn something of a greater scale, so that I add beauty and difficulty in my exercises. I try to improve them."</blockquote>The gymnast from Omsk came in second in the masters of sports all-around. Her coaches are Vera Shtelbaums and Marina Drozd.

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The gymnast from Omsk came in second in the masters of sports all-around.

Ulyana Yanus recaps her performance at the All-Russian Sky Grace Cup competition

At the competition at the Alina Kabaeva Sky Grace Rhythmic Gymnastics Academy, gymnasts perform according to the Master of Sports Candidate and Master of Sports programs.&nbsp;

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Аssociation

The competition is taking place at the Alina Kabaeva Sky Grace Rhythmic Gymnastics Academy

Live broadcast of the All-Russian Sky Grace Cup competition

Olympic champion Alina Kabaeva thanked gymnasts, coaches and judges at the award ceremony of the All-Russian Sky Grace Cup competition for participation in this rhythmic gymnastics festival:<blockquote>"I am indeed very happy to see you. I would like to appreciate the coaches, the gymnasts and the judges for such a wonderful festival. It was such a pleasure for me; the only point that I am a bit upset that it was so little for me. Thank you, girls, it was great that you accepted this challenge. The rules — we all know by what they differ from the international federation. And the International Association made a very proper move, in actual fact, that we have such a floor where children can try themselves under different rules also, the ones much more difficult than in the international federation. And you managed to do that! This is our national sport. We will develop it at the high level, make it eye-catching and beautiful. Many thanks to everyone! I congratulate you with the wonderful tournament! Good luck everyone, see you at a new tournament. Many thanks!"</blockquote>

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The Olympic champion expressed her gratitude to gymnasts, coaches and judges for participation in the tournament.

"It was magnificent because you accepted this challenge!" Alina Kabaeva addresses participants in the All-Russian Sky Grace Cup competition

Coach of the Zhemchuzhina Center of Rhythmic Gymnastics Arina Romanova, the trainee of Honored Coach of Russia Olga Buyanova and the two-times prizewinner of the Russian championship in team standings, came to the All-Russian Sky Grace Cup competition with gymnast Darya Guseva.She explained how she passes on the experience and skills to the young gymnast from St. Petersburg:<blockquote>"I choose all the music; her mom suggested the music for the ribbon. I approved, Natasha Vlasova made staging, and we worked on this exercise since late December. Almost all her programs somewhat reflect me. What I did; in any case I require from the children even more than was required from me. Olga Buyanova, she also here at the competition with Nika Reznik. So I convey the experience that she passed to me."</blockquote>The specialist noted that the gymnasts are distinct and therefore each of them should work on her own drawbacks:<blockquote>"To each her own. Someone needs to struggle for the apparatus, the other one to complete figures, someone else to stand better in elements, and the other one more simply needs to make with the mood there and to struggle until the end."</blockquote>Arina Romanova is the judge of the Sky Grace International Association of Clubs.

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The specialist of the Zhemchuzhina Center of Rhythmic Gymnastics came to the All-Russian Sky Grace Cup competition with young gymnast Dasha Guseva.

Coach Arina Romanova talks about the succession of generations in rhythmic gymnastics

Academy student Ksenia Savinova from Gatchina won the all-around among candidate masters of sports at the All-Russian Sky Grace Cup competition.The athlete told us what is behind her success:<blockquote>"We’ve been working on that, laboring every day. We performed according to FIG at the Russian championship, while there are different rules here, the Sky Grace ones. We came and started changing the program. Evgenia Eliseeva selects the music and asks whether I like it. And we compose the program in this way."</blockquote>She also noted that all the gymnasts support each other:<blockquote>"We have very good communications with our girls, support each other. And the girls whom we see very frequently also provide support, and we support them."</blockquote>Ksyusha will take part very soon in the Alina 2025 Festival that will be held on April 18 at the Martial Arts Academy.

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The gymnast from Gatchina won gold in the all-around among candidate masters of sports.