European Aquatics says that New World Aquatics guidelines allows Russia to participate in team events, including water polo, going forward, which extends to continental events as well.
“Neutral Athletes are now eligible to participate in all water polo competitions and team events, in addition to individual events. Furthermore, the AQUA Guidelines have now been extended to all Continental-level events, in addition to any World Aquatics event or qualifying competition for the World Championships and/or the Olympic Games, across all disciplines and age categories.”
This would seem to encompass not only continental championships like the European Championships in swimming, but also meets like the Sette Colli Trophy, which is a qualifying competition for the World Championships and Olympic Games (depending on the year), and any national meets that allow foreign athletes to compete.
The new policy, which was approved by the World Aquatics Bureau, allows Russia and Belarus to return to water polo competitions, including the European Championships, though they are not qualified for the European Water Polo Championships that will be held in January and February 2026. Russia typically qualifies for European Championships in water polo, but the World Aquatics bans on competition in team sports like water polo means they didn’t participate in qualifying for the 2026 events.
Russia’s artistic swimming (synchronized swimming) teams had already returned to competition. They are historically the world’s powerhouse in that sport, with China, Spain, and Austria being the primary beneficiaries of their absence on the world stage. Russia won 3 golds and 8 total medals in their return as neutral athletes in artistic swimming at the 2025 World Championships.
Russia and Belarus have been in various states of suspension since their invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. That began as a complete ban from most World Aquatics meets to a more recent softening of stance that allows athletes not involved in the war effort to compete under a neutral moniker.
Russian and Belarusian athletes have not, until now, been invited back to European competitions in aquatic sports, with Europe taking a tense posture given the proximity of Russia’s war in Ukraine and rising geopolitical tension by Russian drones into the airspace of other European nations.
One such country is Poland, the host of the 2025 European Short Course Swimming Championships, which shares a border with Ukraine. Poland and Romania on Thursday deployed a new U.S.-made weapon system to protect their countries from Russian drones. In September, more than 20 Russian drones crossed into Polish airspace, prompting Poland and NATO to scramble fighter jets.
2025 European Short Course Championships
European Aquatics says that it is working with the local organizing committee in Poland to “study the new AQUA rules” and that a statement would be made soon. The war has crept closer-and-closer to Poland, which shares a border with Ukraine and is now home to many Ukrainian war refugees.
The 2025 European Short Course Swimming Championships are scheduled to be held in Lublin, Poland from December 2-7. Lublin is only about 50 miles from the border with Ukraine and even closer to the nearest border with Belarus.
One Russian swimmer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that they were told Poland would not issue visas to Russian athletes. Amid increasing global conflict, countries have increasingly used visa restrictions to unilaterally bar countries from competing in international competitions that they have sponsored. Among the highest profile recent instances was Indonesia blocking visas to Israeli athletes for the 2025 World Gymnastics Championships, which drew the ire of the IOC and will likely prevent the country from hosting major championships for the foreseeable future.
Earlier in the year, the United States blocked visas to Cuban volleyball players trying to compete in a NORCECA continental tournament in Puerto Rico.
Russian athletes last competed in a European Championship in swimming at the 2021 European Short Course Championships that they hosted in Kazan. There, Russia led all nations with 11 gold medals and finished 2nd to Italy with 24 total medals.
Well, athletes aren’t the only ones who want to make quick money by selling out to some shady oligarchs. But at least EG haven’t killed anyone yet.
The Russian athletes should have to walk their own path onto the deck, a path possibly loaded with mines. Not deadly mines, of course, just ones that spatter them with ash and rubble and blood red ink.
Putin was patient and it’s paying off for him.
It’s amazing what a few well-placed monetary donations will do.
He learned from the very harsh lessons he was taught after he did naughty things in 2008 and 2014
Good. They should have been in this whole time. Especially when Rowdy referred to them as Russians the whole time. 1sraeli, Pa1estinian, Ch1nese, etc. have all been able to compete under their flag. That’s not a statement on any of these countries, it’s just that unless any athlete comes out and says they support any w@r or regime, they should be allowed to compete under their flag.
You do understand that Russian athletes do support the war?
That’s an assumption to make. Not condoning anything but you’re putting a blanket over it and saying all of them do? With what evidence?
let me suggest this: pretend you are a Russian athlete. Say something obscure about not being pro-war. Not supporting killing and raping children and stuff like that. Then write me from jail about how it’s going.
Really?
I must have missed the news that Putin withdrew troops and stopped bombing Ukraine. Way to go Europe
Trump ended the wars. Didn’t you hear?
in 24 hours. Maybe 23.
Bout time!
time to celebrate countries who invade and massacre their neighbors
ya ever notice how politicians who despises PEACE, lives for WARring, always punishes the people, the athletes from OTHER countries? In 99.7 percent of the time, these athletes were never in the military, had no part in slaughtering people. Murdering people, a society,children/families, is NOT normal. If US was held accountable for all its politician’s foreign policy ATROCITIES, USA athletes would never compete. .and IF allowed to, it would be under the neutral athletes category. Imagine the psychological warfare THAT has been on the athletes.