A bizarre scene unfolded in men's gymnastics as the Ukraine team lost on purpose by not even trying

Julio Cortez

A bizarre scene unfolded Monday during the men's gymnastics finals when Ukraine intentionally tanked and forfeited a shot at a medal.

The move baffled the gymnastics world and now many are wondering if the team tanked on purpose to set themselves up better for the individual events. A similar move in badminton in 2012 ended with several athletes being kicked out of the games.

The Ukrainian team qualified seventh for the eight-team final, but when the final took place, they simply didn't try.

As Washington Post's Scott Allen explained, countries must pick three gymnasts of their five-man squads to compete in the finals. Ukraine oddly picked just two athletes to compete in three of the six events - high bar, parallel bars, and rings - "a sure fire way to lose," according to Allen.

Immediately, the gymnastics world was confused.

Then, in those events, their gymnasts simply didn't try. This was the duration of Maksym Semiankiv's routine - he walked up to the high bar, jumped up, grabbed it, then dropped down. He then bowed to the audience and walked off.

YouTube/NBC Sports

YouTube/NBC Sports

For reference of how quick his "routine" was, his name card was still on the screen when he jumped up on the bars then let go.

NBC's gymnastics analysts immediately said, "That was strange. I'm... not sure what just happened."

And here was Semiankiv's parallels "routine."

YouTube/NBC Sports

YouTube/NBC Sports

NBC's analysts continued, "Truth be told, I'm still baffled by it. I don't know... If you've already given up, what are you fighting for?" Ukraine finished 72 points behind gold-medal-winning Japan.

The rest of the gymnastics world was confused, too.

Their reasoning is still unclear.

According to The Wall Street Journal's Louise Radnofsky, Ukrainian gymnasts Vladyslav Hryko and Andrii Sienichkin said Semiankiv was injured and could not be replaced.

"Just before the start, he had problems with his hand," Hryko said. "Even at the qualification, he was still able to work fine, but now before the start he couldn't even support himself with his hand."

Sienichkin said, "We didn't have time to replace him or to change our team line-up."

However, according to WSJ, the international gymnastics federation officials said if Semiankiv was injured, he could have been replaced if Ukraine filled out a form, then shuffled their lineup. Steve Butcher, president of the men's technical committee of the international gymnastics federation, told WSJ, "No FIG rules prevented them from making changes. Every team has their own strategy. They chose not to compete for a medal tonight."

The bizarre move has the gymnastics world speculating about Ukraine's reasoning.

Some have wondered if the team was forfeiting the finals round to keep their gymnasts fresh for the individual round. Similarly, some wonder if Ukraine letting Oleg Verniaiev, who will compete in Wednesday all-around final, rest. He competed in just two of six events on Monday.

Another common theory is that this was a purposeful protest. NBC's Andy Thornton said he was told that it was a planned move by Ukraine (which stands in contrast to Ukraine's reasoning that they couldn't change their lineup). Allen theorized that Ukraine may have been protesting an event from the 2012 Olympics:

"Was Ukraine trying to make a mockery of the sport as a form of protest against the International Gymnastics Federation for what happened in the men's team final at the 2012 London Games, where Ukraine was denied a bronze after Japan appealed a score on pommel horse that was ultimately changed?"

Perhaps Ukraine was trying to send a message - though that message only seems to hurt them in the long run.

What's worth considering is if Ukraine will face any punishment. In the 2012 Olympics, eight badminton players were kicked out of the Olympics for throwing matches to try and get better future matchups. Though Ukraine's situation is a little different, their methods may be punishable.

It's an odd situation that feels as though there are still answers to come. Watch the highlights of their strategy below: