Ultimatum to the national team: Ukrainian gymnast Verniaiev threatens to change citizenship

The athlete would like to shorten his disqualification period.

Two-time Olympic medallist in artistic gymnastics Oleg Verniaiev would like to shorten his disqualification period so that he can represent Ukraine at the 2024 Olympics. He may give the national team an ultimatum: full training conditions or a change of citizenship. 

We explain when and why the athlete was disqualified, what conflict he has with the national team and what he plans to do. 

Disqualification

In July 2021, it became known that Ukrainian gymnast and 2016 Olympic champion Oleg Verniaiev would not be able to compete at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, as the Gymnastics Ethics Committee had disqualified him for four years over doping. 

Oleg Verniaiev
Ukrainian gymnast

The GEF Arbitration ruled that the concentration of meldonium found in my body is sufficient to disqualify me for four years, starting from November of last year. This means I will not be going to the Olympics. The main question is how did the banned drug get into my body? Why did this happen during a period when there were no serious international competitions and training was conducted in a lighter mode? Why did only one test come back positive, while none of the nearly ten subsequent tests confirmed the presence of the banned substance?

The athlete then stated that "a positive test only indicates the presence of a banned substance in the body, but does not prove the athlete's guilt." 

Verniaiev noted: "If an athlete is confident that he is not at fault, he should not give up. The GEF Arbitration made a decision that can be appealed. Since the arbitration decision can be appealed, it is too early to draw final conclusions." 

He intended to appeal the GEF Arbitration (Gymnastics Ethics Committee) decision on his disqualification to the CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sport). 

The athlete believed that the highest sports judicial body would put everything in its place. 

Shortening the disqualification period

At a ceremony marking the 30th anniversary of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine, Verniaiev told Suspilne that it is unlikely the disqualification decision can be overturned, "but it would be great if the punishment were cut by at least a year"; then he would have "returned to action" as early as November 2023. 

Oleg Verniaiev
Ukrainian gymnast

Is he ready to represent Ukraine at the 2024 Olympics? If the disqualification period is reduced (ed.). Well, there is a parallel conflict in the national team. And if they bring me back to sport, then, let's say, "there will be no coddling" — there will be an ultimatum: either I prepare with full carte blanche, all the conditions I need are prepared for me, and all the people who are getting in my way are removed. Or let me go and I will go where it is convenient for me to work. Where? I have not thought about that yet, I have not looked for any offers, since I have not yet returned to sport. Simply put: either I am needed and you create full conditions for me, or I am not needed and you let me go. 

The athlete hinted that he has a conflict with some gymnasts in the national team: "The problem lies with the people who are in our hall. Who, let's say, created problems for themselves, and now shout that someone insulted them, got in their way, that the youth national team and small children are getting in their way. But it's ridiculous when 30-year-old men say that a female coach is in their way or 17-year-old juniors are preventing them from training and preparing for the Olympic Games." 

At the same time, he stated that he has no desire to leave the national team, but he wants to do gymnastics even more, and he is ready to give it priority if the disqualification is softened. 

Verniaiev wants to do gymnastics and compete, and he wants to do it "at home," so he expects that they will take the "right" side. The athlete noted that "the youth are not in my way," and "if they are in someone's way, then they are either afraid of competition or I don't know." 

Oleg Verniaiev
Ukrainian gymnast

I am a professional gymnast, and my age is already catching up. Only one cycle remains (before Paris 2024 — ed.), when I understand that I will win medals. Why should I leave when I can perform here? If I am not needed here, I will go where I will be needed. 

27-year-old gymnast Oleg Verniaiev is the Rio 2016 Olympic champion on parallel bars, 2016 Olympic all-around silver medallist, four-time world championship parallel bars medallist, 2019 world championship all-around bronze medallist, and six-time European champion (in total he has won 12 medals at continental championships).