Gymnasts from occupied Abkhazia were barred from competing under the Abkhaz flag at an international tournament in Turkey. As “diplomat” Kan Taniya claims, the Georgian side lodged a protest, which the organizers upheld.
“The girls had been preparing for this competition for years. They traveled there to showcase what they had learned and to represent their country. Children’s sports should remain outside of politics, but Tbilisi decided otherwise.
Georgian officials readily speak of peaceful coexistence, trust, and people-to-people diplomacy, but when Abkhaz children get the opportunity to enter an international stage, Georgia does everything to stop them,” Taniya wrote on his Telegram channel.
According to him, the Georgian government’s words and actions are at odds. “I consider such actions a manifestation of hostility directed at children who posed no threat to anyone. Worst of all, the children already understand this at their age; they see from their own experience that the Georgian government’s words cannot be trusted,” Taniya added.
This likely refers to the rhythmic gymnastics tournament International Diamond Cup 2026 — Chapter II. The competition took place on October 1–4 in Istanbul. On their official website, the organizers reported the participation of more than 810 athletes from 14 countries and around 70 sports clubs.
Sukhumi had announced the trip of 20 young gymnasts to the tournament in advance. The head of the local Rhythmic Gymnastics Federation, Gunda Kvartsiya, previously stated that they expected to compete under the Abkhaz flag; however, it later emerged that they were only allowed to take part under a neutral flag.
