The Gymnastics Ethics Foundation (GEF) Disciplinary Commission Panel, composed of Ms Laurence Burger (President), Ms Dorothée Schramm and Mr Maximilien Lehnen (Members), notified on 18 December 2024 its decision in the disciplinary proceedings against:
Ms Mariana Vasileva, former AGF Rhythmic Gymnastics Head Coach and member of the AGF Executive Committee;
Ms Siyana Vasileva, AGF Rhythmic Gymnastics acting Head Coach, member of the FIG Athlete Commission and ex officio member of the FIG Rhythmic Gymnastics Technical Committee;
Ms Evgeniya Vilyayeva (née Zhidkova), coach with AGF;
Ms Natalia Bulanova, AGF Sport Director;
The Azerbaijan Gymnastics Federation (the FIG Member Federation for Azerbaijan).
The case was brought to the attention of the GEF in July 2020, followed by an extensive investigation and the submission in June 2023 of a notice of charges for alleged physical and psychological abuse by AGF coaches against multiple gymnasts over the years, thereby violating numerous provisions of the FIG Statutes, Code of Ethics, Code of Discipline, and Policy and Procedures for Safeguarding and Protecting Participants in Gymnastics.
The decision rendered by the GEF Disciplinary Commission Panel seeks not only to hold the individual Respondents accountable for the established violations but also to build the necessary capacity to safeguard gymnastics participants at the national level. This objective is achieved by addressing both the systemic issues found within the National Federation and addressing the behaviour displayed by the individual Respondents.
The GEF Disciplinary Commission Panel decided as follows for each Respondent:
Ms Mariana Vasileva
Ms Mariana Vasileva is liable for various mistreatments and physical abuse against athletes, including beating for weight gain; for requiring athletes to perform or train when they were not fit to do so, so as to put the gymnasts’ wellbeing and health at risk; for orally abusing and weight-shaming athletes; for withholding monies and/or rewards of athletes; for depriving and/or preventing athletes from having contact with their families and/or other private communication by depriving them of their mobile phone.
She is sanctioned as follows:
Ms Mariana Vasileva shall be excluded from participation in any FIG activities and other international events for a period of 8 years;
Ms Mariana Vasileva shall be prohibited for life from being the head coach of any FIG-affiliated Federation;
Prior to any return to FIG-regulated gymnastics, Ms Mariana Vasileva shall be required, as a precondition of her return, to undergo safeguarding training 3 months prior to her return to gymnastics to the satisfaction of the FIG;
The “Honorary Coach” Diploma awarded to Ms Mariana Vasileva in 2019 by the FIG shall be withdrawn.
Ms Siyana Vasileva
Ms Siyana Vasileva is liable for hitting a gymnast with a phone.
She is sanctioned as follows:
Ms Siyana Vasileva shall be excluded from participation in any FIG activities and other international events for a period of 18 months, which sanction shall be suspended for 3 years.
As a condition of the suspension of Ms Siyana Vasileva’s period of exclusion, Ms Siyana Vasileva shall:
undertake and satisfactorily complete training approved by the GEF, in relation to good practice relating to behavioral awareness and the safeguarding of children and young persons to be arranged and supervised by the AGF, and a report on which to be sent by the AGF to the FIG and the Gymnastics Ethics Foundations, and
undergo a 12-month period of monitoring by a person agreed by the GEF who is appointed by the AGF, and a report on which to be sent by the AGF to the FIG and the Gymnastics Ethics Foundation.
Ms Evgeniya Valiyeva
Evgeniya Valiyeva is liable for harassing a gymnast about her weight.
She is sanctioned as follows:
Ms Evgeniya Valiyeva shall be excluded from participation in any FIG activities and other international events for a period of 12 months, which sanction shall be suspended for 2 years.
As a condition of the suspension of Ms Evgeniya Valiyeva’s period of exclusion, Ms Evgeniya Valiyeva shall:
undertake and satisfactorily complete training approved by the GEF, in relation to good practice relating to behavioral awareness and the safeguarding of children and young persons to be arranged and supervised by the AGF, a report on which is to be sent by the AGF to the FIG and the Gymnastics Ethics Foundation;
undergo a 12-month period of monitoring by a person agreed by the GEF who is appointed by the AGF, a report on which is to be sent by the AGF to the FIG and the Gymnastics Foundation.
Ms Natalia Bulanova
The Disciplinary Commission Panel acquitted Ms Natalia Bulanova on all charges.
The Azerbaijan Gymnastics Federation, AGF
The AGF is liable for all of the infringements by the Individual Respondents, AGF coaches.
It is sanctioned as follows:
The AGF shall be suspended from participation in the 25th Council Meeting in Qawra (Malta) in 2025 and in the 86th Congress in Bangkok (Thailand) in 2026;
The AGF shall be excluded from participation in any FIG activities and other international events for a period of 6 months, which sanction shall be suspended for 12 months subject to the completion of the requirements in respect of safeguarding addressed below.
The AGF shall:
Appoint a qualified safeguarding expert, agreed with the GEF, to inspect and to review its safeguarding procedures and mechanisms, including its disciplinary processes, and who shall produce an initial report to the GEF by 31 March 2025, and reports on reviews quarterly thereafter until 31 December 2026, which reports shall
1. Identify any failings in the safeguarding procedures and mechanisms, and
2. Make recommendations for any improvements or adjustments to be made with a time frame for remedy or enaction.
Act on and remedy any recommendations made by the safeguarding expert within the timeframes identified;
Appoint to its governing board an independent and impartial safeguarding director, who shall report to the GEF quarterly until 31 December 2028 on all and any safeguarding cases within the AGF;
The AGF shall pay a fine of CHF 30,000.
The Parties have the right to appeal the decision to the GEF Appeal Tribunal within 21 days of the notification of the decision.
The full text of the Decision is available here.
The GEF, as an independent body, investigates complaints in order to ensure that violations of FIG rules, policies, and procedures, including ethical breaches, are handled in an unbiased manner. The GEF Disciplinary Section is composed of the Disciplinary Commission and the Appeal Tribunal. Disciplinary proceedings may be opened by the Director of the GEF based on the findings from an investigation into a complaint. These proceedings are governed by the FIG rules in particular the FIG Code of Discipline, as well as international and Swiss law. The outcomes are communicated by the Disciplinary Commission to the GEF Director who is then responsible for informing all concerned parties. Any federation, gymnast, judge, or other person directly affected by a decision of the GEF Disciplinary Commission, the FIG Congress, or the GEF Council may submit an appeal to the GEF Appeal Tribunal. Decisions taken by the Disciplinary Commission and the Appeal Tribunal of the GEF must be implemented by the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) and are therefore communicated on the FIG website.