Veronika Stepanova, an Olympic champion and native of Kamchatka, nearly lost her right to post sports photos online after being flagged for allegedly spreading "sexual solicitation."

According to the athlete’s social media posts, one of her photos was removed for potentially "facilitating or encouraging actions of a sexual nature." The issue? Veronika was simply flexing her muscles—strategically placed to cover what she called "the parts men find more interesting."

"Muscles show better without racing suits… And yes, it’s been exactly one year since I gave birth. You can do it too," the skier wrote.

What was meant as a straightforward promotion of a healthy lifestyle apparently offended the AI algorithm in charge of censorship, and the post was taken down.

This left Stepanova baffled.
"With the current birth rate crisis, photos that 'encourage sexual actions' should come with a medal, not a deletion notice," she joked.

In the end, the content was reinstated. The "provocative" photo remains online for all to see.

A bit of background: Veronika Stepanova, who trained at the Yelizovo Winter Sports School, won gold in the relay at the 2022 Beijing Olympics. She has been an outspoken supporter of boosting the country's birth rate. In a now-famous stunt, she once held a contest among female athletes from three different sports to find the best glutes—all in support of the Russian president’s demographic policies.

Her efforts didn’t go unnoticed. On February 17 of last year, she gave birth to a daughter, Diana.

Currently competing for the Republic of Tatarstan, Stepanova has already racked up several gold medals at the Russian Cup and National Championships this season.

Photo source: Veronika Stepanova’s Telegram channel

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