Russian gymnasts’ journey to world championships disrupted by flight delay

Russia’s gymnastics team faced a flight delay of about seven hours at Moscow’s Vnukovo airport on October 14, head coach Dmitry Andreyev told TASS. The team was travelling to the world championships in Rotterdam.

Andreyev said airspace restrictions had delayed the departure and forced a change to the connecting flight from Istanbul to Amsterdam. He described the prolonged wait as difficult for the athletes, who had left for the airport during the night.

The original plan called for arrival in Amsterdam at approximately 17:25. Andreyev said he hoped the team would reach Rotterdam by about 21:00. That was an expectation at the time of his comments, rather than confirmation of arrival.

The world championships are scheduled for October 17–25 in Rotterdam. Other members of the Russian delegation had already arrived in the Netherlands, according to reporting citing the coaching staff.