Cyprus gymnastic judge sees appeal rejected, banned from sport for four years

Cypriot rhythmic gymnastics judge Evangelia Trikomiti has been excluded from any activity related to gymnastics for a period of four years after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) found her guilty of manipulating scores at the European Championships 2024.

“The decision is unfortunately an extremely unpleasant development for Cypriot sport and tarnishes the otherwise successful Cypriot presence at the recent Olympic games,” dean at the University of Nicosia’s school of law Achilleas Emilianides wrote in a post on social media.

CAS rejected the appeal against the four-year ban filed by Trikomiti and the European Gymnastics Federation.

“The manipulation of scores was done during the processes of selecting a representative from Europe for participation in the Olympics, in which the Cypriot gymnast was selected,” Emilianides wrote.

Trikomiti had altered scores at the European Gymnastics Championships held in Budapest in May 2024 in favour of Cypriot athlete Vera Tugolukova – to the detriment of Polish athlete Liliana Lewinska – to secure Tugolukova’s attendance at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The Gymnastics Ethics Foundation (GEF) first published its findings on the manipulation in February 2025 and was followed by a disciplinary suspension of the judge by the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG).

FIG had previously imposed an €8,000 fine on the European Gymnastics Federation to cover the costs of the investigation.

The federation clarified that initial ruling had no impact on Tugolukova’s participation in the Olympic Games, emphasising it was not part of the “field of competition” regulations.

The Cyprus Gymnastics Federation launched an investigation into the case in February 2025, stressing it was “committed to taking all necessary actions in accordance with the law and ensuring that the appropriate measures are implemented.”

Trikomiti firmly denied the findings of the disciplinary commission, calling the decision “unjustified.”

“The disciplinary proceedings against [me], brought by the Gymnastics Ethics Foundation, were flawed from the outset. They were based on a partial and incomplete investigation and relied on concocted evidence,” she said.

The CAS is an international judicial body that aims to settle sports-related disputes headquartered in Lausanne.

Russian-born Tugolukova began competing for Cyprus at the end of 2022 and carried the Cyprus flag at the Paris Olympics’ closing ceremony.