Russian Gymnastics Federation comments on Indonesian athlete’s death
The Gymnastics Federation of Russia has extended condolences to its Indonesian counterpart and the family of Naufal Takdir Al Bari, who sustained a severe neck injury while at a training camp in Russia, and passed away on Wednesday.
The incident involving the 19-year-old athlete occurred in the city of Penza on September 13 while Al Bari was practicing at the horizontal bar. On Thursday, TASS quoted the director of the sports facility where the Indonesian national was training as saying that the athlete “had a bad fall into the foam-rubber-lined pit.”
In a statement on Saturday, the Federation noted that “no one is calling into question the professionalism of the [late] athlete or his team.” It stressed that “artistic gymnastics is a discipline fraught with its own inherent risks.”
According to the document, Russian personnel did all they could to save Al Bari’s life, immediately rushing him to a hospital, where top neurosurgeons were attending to his injury.
Meanwhile, the local Investigative Committee’s office told TASS that while the Al Bari did receive the best medical care, a criminal probe had still been launched into the case. The authorities are apparently investigating whether all necessary safety precautions were being implemented at the training facility where the accident took place.
