During the European Championship awards ceremony for athletes under 23, Ukrainian freestyle wrestler Artur Kostiuk made a gesture of silent protest. The 18-year-old athlete, who won a bronze medal in the 86 kg weight category, turned away and turned his back on the flags on the podium during the performance of the Russian national anthem, UNN reports with reference to a fragment from the competition broadcast.
It should be noted that these competitions were the first official international starts since 2021 where Russian athletes can compete with national symbols — flag and anthem. The return of Russian state symbols to the international arena occurred after the IOC updated its recommendations regarding the participation of athletes from this country.
At the European U-23 Championship, the Ukrainian freestyle wrestling team won two medals: Artur Kostiuk and Andriy Shokaliuk won bronze awards. It was Kostiuk who had to stand next to the winner from Russia, which added special symbolic weight to his action.
Artur Kostiuk already has significant achievements in youth and junior sports: in 2024, he became a bronze medalist at the Junior World Championship, and the following year — a champion. Also in 2025, Kostiuk won European "gold" in the under-17 age category.
Overall, at this year's European Youth Championship, Ukrainian athletes won four medals, continuing to demonstrate steady progress in wrestling at the international level.
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