Russian, Belarusian Athletes Will Be Allowed to Speak to Media at World Championships

Neutral Athletes participating in the World Aquatics Championships this week will be allowed to speak to media – but media won’t be allowed to bring up the controversies that resulted in their neutral status, World Aquatics informed members of the media on Wednesday.

AQUA reports that “approximately 100” athletes with a neutral status will compete at the World Aquatics Championships this week, all from Russia and Belarus. At previous competitions with neutral athletes, they were barred from speaking with the media because of the inevitability of the topic of the war in Ukraine.

While the World Aquatics Guidelines for Athlete Participation in World Aquatics Competitions During Periods of Conflict bar them from going through the mixed zone or participating in any press conferences, World Aquatics is apparently opening the door to other forums for interviews with these athletes.

From the Guidelines:

8.1 Neutral Athletes and their Support Personnel are prohibited from going through the mixed zone or participating in any press conference during an Event. They are also prohibited from giving any interviews to media during an Event.

8.2 Neutral Athletes, their Support Personnel and their National Member
Federation are not allowed to make any publication or other communication with any media channel linking their participation as a Neutral Athlete with any nation in Conflict and/or their National Member Federation.

Alternatively,

From the Email Sent to Media

Neutral Athletes are permitted to interact with accredited media – under strict conditions.

During all media interactions, Neutral Athletes and their Support Personnel are not allowed to comment on any conflict, any nation in conflict, or any subject that would link their participation in the World Aquatics Championships – Singapore 2025 to a nation in conflict and/or their National Member Federation. Media questions and Neutral Athlete responses must remain strictly limited and focused on the athlete’s performance.

It is unclear how this will play out in real time, where the lines will be drawn, who decides what the lines are, and what the consequences might be when those lines are crossed, but the opportunity for Russian and Belarusian athletes to speak to the media at all is, at a minimum, a further erosion of the strictest parts of the neutrality policies.

Athletes were granted neutral status by the Aquatics Integrity Unit if they met the following criteria:

• No voluntary contractual relationship with any national security agency or any military- or government-affiliated entity of a nation in conflict (note: contractual relationships with sports clubs financed by military or police budgets are excluded);
• No expression of support for any conflicts; and
• Full compliance with the anti-doping requirements outlined in the World Aquatics Guidelines for Athlete Participation in World Aquatics Competitions During Periods of Conflicts.