Ukraine's Igor Radivilov performs on the vault during the artistic gymnastics men's qualification at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Photo / AP
Gymnastics commentators were stunned on Tuesday during the men's Olympic gymnastics team final when the Ukrainian national team willingly took scores of zero, which ensured a last-place finish.
In the team final, each country sends three athletes to perform on each apparatus - but Ukraine only had two athletes complete
the high bar, parallel bars and floor exercise.
Ukraine sent Maksym Semiankiv to the high bar in the middle of the competition - but instead of doing his routine, Semiankiv hung onto the bar for a second, then dropped and nodded to the judges. He took a score of zero, and also scratched in the parallel bars.
Semiankiv didn't appear to be injured, and even if he was, Ukraine could have had another member of its five-man team do a routine in his place.
According to NBC's Andy Thornton, the team planned to throw the competition.
