FINA announced yesterday that Russian star backstroker Evgeny Rylov is serving a 9-month ban from all FINA sanctioned events, effective April 20. The ban was handed to Rylov after he appeared on stage at a rally in support of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Today, the Kremlin put out a response to the ban by FINA, saying in part “We believe this is absolutely contrary to the ideas of sport…When the strongest (competitors) lose the opportunity to participate, this ultimately harms international federations and international competitions.” These statements came from Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, and were originally reported by Reuters.Â
Rylov appeared on stage at the rally alongside a small group of Russian Olympic medalists and were celebrated for their accomplishments before Russian president Vladimir Putin took the stage to speak on the war effort.
Rylov won Gold medals in both the 100 and 200 backstroke at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics last summer and would have been considered amongst the favorites to win those events at the upcoming World Championships in Budapest this summer. However, preceding Rylov’s individual ban FINA announced that all Russian and Belarusian athletes are barred from all FINA sanctioned competitions through the end of 2022.
Moreover, it’s unclear what falls under the umbrella of “FINA sanctioned competitions and events”, and SwimSwam has been unable to obtain any further clarification on the details of the ban at the time this article was posted. For example, Rylov is entered in the upcoming Russian Championships in Kazan. That event would have normally served as a qualifying meet for the World Championships, but since Russia is barred from the meet this year, it won’t serve as a qualifying meet.
Outside of FINA’s ban, the appearance at the rally has been costly for Rylov, as Speedo terminated their sponsorship deal with the 25-year-old after his rally appearance last month as well.
Fina should not be suspending anyone who supports thier home government.
Hold on…let me grab my world’s smallest violin 🙄
They didn’t stand with Afghanistan yemen and other terrorized countries but stood with Ukraine…just wow
Man that Russian Z-rally was a hostage video. The athletes looked like they were attending at gunpoint. Rylov didn’t look too uncomfortable but Vlad Morozov did not look happy. Rylov should be banned not for the hostage stint but for the programmatic drug cheating by RUSADA.
Oh no how awful
Unfortunately, the suspension only strengthens Putiin’s propaganda, as are all sanctions on sports and arts. It only makes more and more Russian people believe they are maliciously targeted by other countries, so they will be more united around Putiin. His support rate clearly rose after all kinds of sanctions began.
you mean his “reported” support?
Well guess what.
“We believe that war is absolutely contrary to the ideas of humanity. When men, women and children lose the opportunity to live without terror in their own country, this ultimately harms a great deal more than sport – it harms all of humanity.”
Athletes will one day be able to compete again, the casualties of war will not.
I think it’s time already for Rylov to stop talking on rallies but to prove by real action his Russian patriotism and loyalty to Putin, who feeds him with numbers of privileges.
Forget this bathing in the pool.Take AK, go to half ruined Kharkiv, Ukraine. Find in rubbles an elderly helpless woman on wheelchair who couldn’t escape the sieged city and kill her. So the children in Russia can sleep peacefully now.