MOSCOW, November 30, Sergey Fuks. Decision of the Fund Appeal Tribunal gymnastic ethics (GEF) is a big victory in the current conditions, said the president of the All-Russian Federation of Rhythmic Gymnastics (VFKhG) and head coach of the Russian national team Irina Viner.
On Wednesday, the GEF decided to uphold Wiener's two-year suspension. The GEF Tribunal ruled that Wiener's period of ineligibility now runs from 6 March 2023 to 5 March 2025, regardless of whether FIG's protective measures remain in place during that period. Wiener was also ordered to pay 5 thousand Swiss francs for the costs of the appeal. The parties have the right to appeal this decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne within 21 days.
“»They released me from restrictive protective measures, which amounted to seven years, so they removed seven years, leaving two years, which are counted from March 2023. It would be impossible otherwise, because this is the tribunal of the body that already expelled I have such punishments. They removed seven years, this is also an achievement. Of course, they could not remove them completely. What next? We will think about the CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sport). In modern conditions, this is, of course, a big victory,» said Wiener.
In March, the GEF, an independent disciplinary body created by the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG), suspended Wiener for two years and banned her from participating in any capacity in international competitions and FIG events. The suspension was supposed to start counting one day after the lifting of the FIG protective measures, which consist of preventing Russian athletes from participating in international competitions due to the situation in Ukraine. Wiener filed an appeal on March 27.