Ukrainian gymnastics is currently going through some turbulence. Days back, the federation had suspended their head coach, Gennady Sartynskyi, on the grounds of a “disciplinary offense” he allegedly committed. While fans and the international community wondered what it was, the federation stood firm by its stand: “for obvious reasons,” they would not disclose the details of the incident, as the investigation into the motives and causes was ongoing. But no one’s stopping the suspended coach from laying out his truth, right? Yes, Gennady Sartynskyi finally speaks. And his version of the incident? It’s now out in the open!

Well, it looks like disputes between the two sides have been going on for a rather long time, but they have never come to anything concrete. However, on February 4, 2025, the first serious step took place. According to the Vice President of the Ukrainian Gymnastics Federation, Stella Zakharova, “This is what happened there: at the workplace in the gym in Koncha-Zaspa, Sartynskyi beat another coach in the presence of athletes. He kicked him from behind. There are statements and explanatory notes from another representative who was hit, and statements from the athletes. I cannot name the second coach yet.” But according to Sartynskyi, here’s what happened.

On May 10, the suspended coach Gennady Sartynskyi laid out his side of the story to The Champion of what happened that day. “It all started with the fact that Stella Georgievna Zakharova hired Lavrukhin as a senior coach. I don’t know how it happened; he doesn’t have any gymnasts, nothing,” he said. Sartynski also added, “He went home, then came with a girl and, without permission, moved her in with him without paying anything. I found out about it and said, “This is not possible; this is wrong.”

But this is not where things ended. “Conversation after conversation, he started insulting me, and it all turned out that there was a fight. He called Zakharova, saying that he had been insulted,” said Sartynskyi. According to him, the other coach started it all. And then the two fought. “It was in front of the children, so it’s my fault that I couldn’t hold back and also responded.”

But Sartynskyi refuted the fact that he hurt the other coach, saying that he is 71 years old and has had shoulder surgery; thus, he couldn’t have beaten him. Sartynskyi continued that the other coach kept provoking him on Thursday, too, saying, “I would beat you right now. And then he said, Let’s go out; let’s talk.” But it was Gennady Sartynski who turned the call for a tussle down.

He said that he’s already been through this. And that it might result in another complaint to Zakhrova against him. Overall, the suspended coach maintained that the entire incident was fabricated to get him fired. Well, as per the gymnastics federation, they are still investigating the matter.

As of now, Stella Zakhrova maintains that they have requested a video, which was not provided to them by the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine. Therefore, while the investigation is ongoing, Sartynsky will be temporarily suspended. Because this is a situation they deem “unhealthy,” where, in the workplace, the head coach, as a teacher, in the presence of children and athletes, inflicts bodily harm on another coach. But the aftermath of it has been brutal for them as they are currently facing a boycott scare.

A boycott fuels inside Ukrainian gymnastics

The aftermath of this recent incident has stirred up quite a row. On May 6, when it became known that Ukrainian Gymnastics had decided not to send head coach Gennady Sartynskyi to the European Championships with the national team, given his suspension, a bunch of gymnasts from the Ukrainian team signed and released a statement, refusing to go to the competition without him.

The gymnasts boycotted the European Championships in a case where Lavrukhin was appointed as coach for this particular tournament. “We will not silently watch as the Federation cracks down on those who work,” they said. “We are a team. And we will not let it be torn apart from within,” they added. However, the suspended Head Coach Gennady Sartynskyi confessed that he knew nothing about this decision of his subordinates and learned about it from Facebook.

On the other hand, the Ukrainian gymnastics federation awaits the investigation’s completion to decide what will be done with Sartynskyi next. What do you think of this entire situation? Let us know below!