MADRID, 1 Mar. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The International Swimming Federation (FINA) announced this Tuesday that Russian and Belarusian athletes will not be able to participate in international competitions representing their country, in response to the Russian offensive in Ukraine with the support of Belarus, and they will only be able to do so if they do so. as neutral athletes.
“Until further notice, no athlete or official from Russia or Belarus will be allowed to participate under the name of Russia or Belarus. Russian or Belarusian citizens, either individually or in teams, must be accepted only as neutral athletes or neutral teams,” announced the world swimming governing body in a statement.
In addition, he stressed that “they will not” be able to “display national symbols, colors, flags or listen to their anthems” in international tournaments that are not yet subject to the sanctions of the World Anti-Doping Agency (AMA) for Russia.
“FINA remains deeply concerned about the impact of the war on the swimming family and the general population of Ukraine. FINA will continue to carefully monitor the dire situation and make further decisions as appropriate,” he added.
On the other hand, FINA announced that the body has withdrawn the FINA Order, the federation’s highest distinction, from Russian President Vladimir Putin. Putin was awarded the decoration in 2014 on the occasion of the international conference ‘Russia – A Sports Power’ in Cheboksary for his “significant support in the organization of major FINA competitions on Russian soil”.