Swedish high jumper Emma Green Tregaro made headlines Thursday when she competed in high jump qualifying at the World Championships with rainbow-colored nails to support Russia’s gay community.
Green Tregaro showed up for Saturday’s final at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow with a different pattern on her nails -- red.
The rainbow pattern Thursday breached IAAF regulations, Swedish athletics general secretary Anders Albertsson said.
“We have been informally approached by the IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations) saying that this is by definition, a breach of the regulations,” Albertsson told reporters, according to Reuters. “The code of conduct clearly states the rules do not allow any commercial or political statements during the competition.”
Emma Green Tregaro said IAAF and Swedish Fed asked her not to paint nails rainbow color. She chose red instead because,"I believe in love"
— Christopher Clarey 🇺🇸 🇫🇷 🇪🇸 (@christophclarey) August 17, 2013
Russian pole vault champion Yelena Isinbayeva criticized Green Tregaro and fellow Swede athlete 200-meter runner Moa Hjelmer for their nails Thursday, saying it was “disrespectful to our country” while standing by Russia’s law banning the “propagandizing of nontraditional sexual relations toward minors.”
Isinbayeva backtracked from her comments Friday.
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