Vladimir Artemev is a retired Belarus

Belarus

Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...

ian artistic gymnast who competed for the Soviet Union

Soviet Union

The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....

. He was a member of the Soviet national team from 1977 through 1987 and was the Soviet national all-around champion in 1982 and 1984. He was unable to compete at the 1984 Summer Olympics

1984 Summer Olympics

The 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984...

 due to the Soviet boycott

1984 Summer Olympics boycott

The boycott of the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California. The boycott was a follow up to the American-led boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. The boycott involved 14 Eastern Bloc countries and allies, led by the Soviet Union who initiated the boycott on May 8, 1984, and joined...

.

He is the father and coach of American gymnast Alexander Artemev

Alexander Artemev

Alexander Vladimirovich "Sasha" Artemev is an American artistic gymnast. He is the 2006 all-around U.S. National Champion, the 2007 and 2008 U.S. National Champion on the pommel horse and an individual bronze medalist at the 2006 World Championships. Artemev was a member of the bronze medal...

. They moved to the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

in 1994 and became US citizens in 2002.