Written for my Deporvida blog after London 2012
Heirs of the Soviet sporting ethos and true aesthetes of the gymnastics, Russia has fallen behind other nations without hopes of returning to the top. Hurt by the USSR breakup, a coaching exodus, political nepotism and a complete revamping of the sport's rules, its huge tradition hangs in the balance, between the neglect of its originality and even more heartbreak.
The full story can be read here.
