Azerbaijan recruits three Russian gymnasts

Russia Olympians Anna Pavlova and Konstantin Pluzhnikov will represent Azerbaijan internationally, as will 2011 Russian world team member Yulia Inshina, the FIG announced Thursday.The International Gymnastics Federation officially announced the changes of nationality for six artistic gymnastics on Thursday in its bulletin.The popular Pavlova, a 2004 and 2008 Olympian, has not represented Russia in a major competition since the 2008 Olympics. Now 26, she has continued training and competing regularly and successfully but in smaller international invitationals. She has suffered from knee injuries, including a torn ACL following the the 2008 Olympics.The 26-year-old Pluzhnikov, a 2008 Olympian and the 2011 European champion on still rings, reportedly decided to compete for Azerbaijan a year ago when rival rings specialist Alexander Balandin was chosen instead to represent Russia at the Olympics in London.Inshina, 18, was a member of Russia's silver-medal squad from the 2011 World Championships in Tokyo, where she finished sixth in the balance beam final.The former Soviet republic of Azerbaijan, which has a population under 10 million, has achieved tremendous success in rhythmic gymnastics with imported Russians Aliya Garavayeva, who won eight world and five European medals, and world medalists Dinara Gimatova and Anna Gurbanova. The oil-rich nation has not yet had a strong presence in artistic gymnastics, however, but has been attempting to recruit gymnasts from abroad.