MOSCOW, May 5. /TASS/. Athletes from Russia’s national bodybuilding team secured 16 gold medals at the 2025 IFBB European Championship in Spain last week although the team’s initial roster had been drastically cut, the Russian Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation’s (RBFF) announced in a statement to TASS on Monday.
"Russian national team’s bodybuilders competed at that European championship in a reduced format of the roster, which contained only 23 athletes, but eventually they did the unthinkable, winning 16 gold, three silver and four bronze medals," the statement reads. "Therefore, the national anthem of Russia was played 16 times [at the European Championship] in Santa Susanna."
RBFF President Alexander Vishnevsky praised the results of the Russian national team’s performance at the European Championship: "Our athletes managed to achieve such great success in spite of everything, in spite of all the obstacles on behalf of the Spanish Embassy in Russia."
"Spanish fans are a different matter as they had been passionately supporting Russian athletes. It is regrettable enough that the Spanish authorities turned out not to be welcoming as they [Spanish fans] were by declining entry visas to our athletes," the statement quoted Vishnevsky as saying.
"According to our boys and girls, athletes representing other countries were happy to see again the Russian team at the European Championships," he continued.
"It was obvious how our athletes really missed that unforgettable feeling being on the pedestal and being not only as the best athlete at the competition, but also as a patriot of your country - flying the flag of your country and to the tune of the national anthem," Vishnevsky added.
Late last month, the RBFF announced that only 10% of the originally approved lineup of the Russian national bodybuilding team will be able to compete at the 2025 IFBB European Championship in Spain after the Spanish Embassy in Russia had declined to issue entry visas.
A spokesman for the RBFF stated earlier to TASS that: "Our national team, which has 200 athletes on the roster, was set to participate in the European Championship in Spain. However, the Spanish Embassy declined entry visas to the majority of our athletes, despite an official invitation from the International Fitness and Bodybuilding Federation [IFBB], letters of support from the Mayor of Santa Susanna and from the Russian Foreign Ministry with the direct involvement of the Russian Ministry of Sports."
On February 24, Russian athletes received an official invitation from the IFBB to take part in the 2025 IFBB European Championship in Spain. The international federation later confirmed that Russian athletes would be allowed to compete under the national flag and to the tune of their country’s anthem in line with the international federation’s ruling from July 8, 2024.
On February 25, the RBBF’s press office announced that: "The delegation has been submitted to the IFBB, which has now issued invitations for the entire Russian delegation to proceed with visa arrangements for Spain."
The 2025 IFBB European Championship was held from April 30 to May 5 in the Spanish city of Santa Susanna.