Paolo Barelli appears to have regained the reins of Italian swimming.
It was announced by the Italian Swimming Federation (FIN) Wednesday that Barelli won his appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in a case against World Aquatics and will resume his duties as FIN President.
Barelli, 69, was initially suspended for two years in November 2022, and then his ban was extended to three years this past March.
The suspension was handed to Barelli for the alleged wrongdoing in three separate cases, including multiple rule violations of the FINA Constitution and the FINA Code of Ethics, during his time as the secretary at FINA (now World Aquatics).
Barelli’s appeal of one violation was rejected in September, but this most recent ruling clears him of any wrongdoing, per FIN.
“Finally the CAS decision cancels all the accusations and suspicions which, triggered in Italy and abroad, tried to tarnish my image as a sports manager and politician,” Barelli said, according to FIN.
“I have always had faith in the final outcome of justice, sport or not. I have always known the instrumentality of every accusation that alleged untrue facts. I am proud to be able to say that the Italian Swimming Federation, strongly influenced by these events, was able to carry forward the programs we had planned towards the Paris 2024 Olympics and to continue in the wonderful trail of successes they have honored, thanks to the athletes, to the technicians and the clubs, the entire Italian sports movement.
“Now the Paris Games are approaching and we will be able to dive into the competition again without further waste of energy necessary to defend myself from unfounded and defamatory accusations. However, I will not fail to prosecute those who have attacked me and the federation that I am honored to preside over.”
Additionally, all criminal and sport justice allegations against Barelli have been cleared.
Barelli was a candidate for the presidency of World Aquatics (then FINA) when current president Husain Al-Musallam won the right to lead the governing body.
The CAS decision clearing Barelli comes as European Aquatics President Antonio Silva, who holds the title previously held by Barelli, is facing numerous ethics questions that put his position in doubt.
OK, so CAS cleared him and he feels great – What does that really change? The ethics panel charges are so serious that I find it difficult to think that there was NO skullduggery amongst the parties mentioned. And when one reads the last paragraph of this particle, it only underlines the endemic sense of graft, entitlement, featherbedding, and kickbacks which have been the bane of both IOC and FINA/World Aquatics officials at the highest level. We expect athletes to compete drug-free – why not expect officials at all levels to work free of gross ethical over-shadowings?