The Aquatics Integrity Unit (AQIU), the investigative and disciplinary arm of World Aquatics, has given Hungarian swim coach Ivan Petrov a three-month suspension for violations of the World Aquatics Integrity Code.
Petrov, who has dual Romanian and Hungarian citizenship, is the head swim coach of Győri Úszó SE swimming in Hungary, and a four-time Olympic coach.
While she is not named in the disciplinary documents, the case pertains to Henrietta Fangli, who was granted a change of sporting citizenship from Romania to Hungary earlier this year.
The Hungarian Swimming Association submitted a request of change of sports nationality on May 13, 2024, and an email sent to World Aquatics by Petrov through a lawyer asserted that Fangli resided with him in Hungary, which according to the AQIU was done “in order to convince World Aquatics that the third requisite of Part One – Article 3.3.1 of the Competition Regulations was met and that the change of sporting nationality should be approved.”
But Fangli, who is currently living and training at the University of Houston in the United States, contradicted that claim to the AQIU.
According to the decision document:
On 18 June 2024, World Aquatics inquired about the Athlete’s current
residence, as publicly available information indicated that she had currently been studying and living in the United States for the past few years. This information appeared to directly contradict the Respondent’s Official Statement.On the same day, the Athlete confirmed that she lives and studies in the
United States and she only returns to Hungary to train during the holidays (Christmas or New Year) and the summer break.
The relevant article of the change of sporting citizenship rules reads as follows:
The Athlete shall have uninterrupted residence in the country or Sport Country of the New World Aquatics Member for at least three years prior to his/her first International Competitions or shall be able to demonstrate by the end of the waiting period at the latest, that he/she has a genuine, close and established link to the country or Sport Country he/she will represent.
In spite of having that information, World Aquatics approved the request in June 2024 given the athlete’s “genuine, close and established link to Hungary considering…that both she and her relatives have held Hungarian citizenship for 11 years.”
Fangli was one of 300,000 ethnic Hungarians located outside of the country’s borders that were granted Hungarian citizenship in 2013. That included about 280,000 who lived in Romania, and especially Transylvania where Fangli is from and much of which was part of Hungary prior to the 1920 Treaty of Trianon.
But that approval did not absolve Petrov’s offense in the eyes of AQIU, which initiated an investigation on July 10, 2024. Petrov responded to the notice of investigation a day later saying that he is not a native English speaker and signed the statement in good faith. He reiterated that the athlete resides at his home when she is in Hungary, and said that the language barrier led to an unintentional agreement to the word “resides” versus “living.”
On review of the evidence, the AQIU gave Petrov a five-month suspension on basis of violations of sections 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, and 10.2 of the organization’s Integrity Code that deal with honesty and ethical standards.
Petrov took advantage of the option to deny the allegations against him (his right under Article 23.3 c), saying that like many other international athletes training in the United States, she maintained a residence in Hungary.
From the report:
The Respondent also emphasized that the Official Statement did not suggest that the Athlete lived permanently with him and that Hungarian law allows for an official residence that does not align with day-to-day living arrangements
The Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer (CECO) of the AQIU referred the matter to the Adjudicatory Body on October 3, and a day later that group informed Petrov of his rights and a hearing via a single-member panel.
The panel member decided that AQIU was justified in its finding of ethics violations, and disputed Petrov’s claim that he misunderstood the term “residence” by calling it “highly improbable.”
” It is particularly telling that the only alleged confusion involves a term that is central to the decision-making process and directly impacts the eligibility requirements. This undermines the credibility of the Respondent’s explanation and suggests a self-serving motive,” the panel-member writes. “If the Respondent genuinely misunderstood the term ‘Residence,’ it was incumbent upon them to seek clarification before proceeding. The failure to do so further indicates that the misunderstanding claim is not credible and likely serves as an ex post facto justification for non-compliance.
The single-member panel applied the following sanctions:
- A warning as to future conduct;
- A reprimand;
- A fine in an amount proportionate to the seriousness of the violation (amount not disclosed);
- An order of reimbursement or restitution;
- A suspension from carrying out specific activities on behalf of World Aquatics and/or Continental Organisation and/or World Aquatics Member for a specified period
- A period of ineligibility (3 months)
The panel said that because the statement was officially submitted, it did not consider the fact that the athlete’s change of citizenship was approved anyway as a mitigating factor. It did credit Petrov for having a “clean record up to this point,” and ultimately reduced the suspension to three months.
Among other things, that suspension prevents him from participating or attending, in any capacity, in any aquatic competition. It also applied a fine, though it did not disclose the amount of that fine.
Fangli swam 1:07.50 in the 100 breaststroke at the 2024 Hungarian National Championships to win the title, adding a 31.31 to win the 50. She is the Hungarian Record holder in the 100 breaststroke in long course (1:07.08) and also holds five Hungarian Records. She finished 4th at last year’s Big 12 Championships in the United States in the 100 yard breaststroke.
Others representing the club include 35-year-old Zsu Jakabos, who represented Hungary at the 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2020 Olympic Games. Jakabos and Petrov are married.
