World Aquatics and Russian sporting officials have confirmed two administrative points regarding the results of the World Short Course Swimming Championships in Budapest, where swimmers from Russia, Belarus, and Mexico competed under a neutral banner.
Neutral Athlete Records
The first is that any World Records set by athletes from those countries at the meet will be credited to “neutral athletes.” That includes the men’s 400 medley relay record where the neutral athletes holding Russian passports swam 3:18.68. The official listed country that will hold the record is “Neutral Athletes B,” which were athletes with Russian passports.
Neutral athletes with Belarusian passports were “Neutral Athletes A” and neutral athletes with Mexican passports were “Neutral Athletes C” at the meet.
This creates kind of a peculiar distinction, because when Russian athletes set World Records outside of World Aquatics competition, like Kliment Kolesnikov’s 22.11 in the 50 back, the records were credited to “Russia” because at that meet, athletes were not required to represent “neutral athletes” – a subtle difference.
While “neutral athletes” don’t have a continent, World Aquatics confirmed that they will still be recognized on the continents where their passports are from. So if everything is approved, Russian swimmers will set European Records – at least based on World Aquatics’ record keeping.
Neutral Athletes Prize Money
In an interview with Russian state-run news outlet TASS, Vladimir Salnikov says that athletes will receive their prize money from World Aquatics.
“We [the Russian swimming body] are tackling this matter head on, and it will be settled within the framework of cooperation,” Salnikov said.
Neutral Athletes B amassed the third-most prize money at the meet with $220,500, behind only the United States ($974,000) and Canada ($241,000).
Neutral Athletes A (Belarus) earned $45,000, while Neutral Athletes C (Mexico) earned no dollars with no finals swims from their two entered athletes.
Some Belarus and Russian athletes were allowed to compete under neutral banners at a World Aquatics meet for the first time since the February 2022 invasion in Ukraine if they could disassociate themselves with the war effort.
The Mexican federation was expelled late last year after years of internal political turmoil including “repeated failure…to comply with FINA’s good standards.”
28 Russians, 5 Belarusians, and 2 Mexicans competed at the meet.
Prize Money Earned by Neutral Athletes
| last | first | Nation | nation | gender | money | wr | double crown | total |
| PRIGODA | Kirill | Neutral Athletes B | AQU | M | 27785.71 | 6250 | 0 | 34035.71 |
| LIFINTSEV | Miron | Neutral Athletes B | AQU | M | 24285.71 | 6250 | 0 | 30535.71 |
| MINAKOV | Andrei | Neutral Athletes B | AQU | M | 12628.57 | 6250 | 0 | 18878.57 |
| KORNEV | Egor | Neutral Athletes B | AQU | M | 12485.71 | 6250 | 0 | 18735.71 |
| SAMUSENKO | Pavel | Neutral Athletes B | AQU | M | 16342.86 | 0 | 0 | 16342.86 |
| ZMUSHKA | Alina | Neutral Athletes A | AQU | F | 15000 | 0 | 0 | 15000 |
| BORODIN | Ilia | Neutral Athletes B | AQU | M | 14666.67 | 0 | 0 | 14666.67 |
| SHYMANOVICH | Ilya | Neutral Athletes A | AQU | M | 14000 | 0 | 0 | 14000 |
| CHIKUNOVA | Evgeniia | Neutral Athletes B | AQU | F | 13833.33 | 0 | 0 | 13833.33 |
| SURKOVA | Arina | Neutral Athletes B | AQU | F | 13747.62 | 0 | 0 | 13747.62 |
| ZHIGALOV | Aleksandr | Neutral Athletes B | AQU | M | 12857.14 | 0 | 0 | 12857.14 |
| SHKURDAI | Anastasiya | Neutral Athletes A | AQU | F | 12000 | 0 | 0 | 12000 |
| KLEPIKOVA | Daria | Neutral Athletes B | AQU | F | 11090.48 | 0 | 0 | 11090.48 |
| TROFIMOVA | Daria | Neutral Athletes B | AQU | F | 6947.62 | 0 | 0 | 6947.62 |
| STEPANOVA | Milana | Neutral Athletes B | AQU | F | 4400 | 0 | 0 | 4400 |
| ZHAVORONKOV | Dmitrii | Neutral Athletes B | AQU | M | 4152.38 | 0 | 0 | 4152.38 |
| PEKARSKI | Grigori | Neutral Athletes A | AQU | M | 4000 | 0 | 0 | 4000 |
| DIAKOVA | Sofia | Neutral Athletes B | AQU | F | 3200 | 0 | 0 | 3200 |
| MARTYNYCHEV | Kirill | Neutral Athletes B | AQU | M | 3000 | 0 | 0 | 3000 |
| SAVENKO | Dmitrii | Neutral Athletes B | AQU | M | 3000 | 0 | 0 | 3000 |
| GAIFUTDINOVA | Alina | Neutral Athletes B | AQU | F | 2057.14 | 0 | 0 | 2057.14 |
| SHCHEGOLEV | Aleksandr | Neutral Athletes B | AQU | M | 1866.67 | 0 | 0 | 1866.67 |
| KOSTIN | Oleg | Neutral Athletes B | AQU | M | 1428.57 | 0 | 0 | 1428.57 |
| MISHARINA | Kseniia | Neutral Athletes B | AQU | F | 1200 | 0 | 0 | 1200 |
| SHEVLIAKOV | Roman | Neutral Athletes B | AQU | M | 857.14 | 0 | 0 | 857.14 |
| AGAPITOVA | Elizaveta | Neutral Athletes B | AQU | F | 833.33 | 0 | 0 | 833.33 |
| EFIMOVA | Yuliya | Neutral Athletes B | AQU | F | 833.33 | 0 | 0 | 833.33 |
| AKIMOV | Roman | Neutral Athletes B | AQU | M | 666.67 | 0 | 0 | 666.67 |
| SUDAREV | Aleksei | Neutral Athletes B | AQU | M | 666.67 | 0 | 0 | 666.67 |
| LUZIN | Savelii | Neutral Athletes B | AQU | M | 666.67 | 0 | 0 | 666.67 |
If they would be all natural without A, B or C they shouldn’t be allowed to swim relays at all. Which would be the right thing to do because otherwise (what happened) they are obviously represent their country.
Just send all the money to CHUPPY to aid in his retirement
Does World Aquatics only allow swimmers from specific countries to do so?
Could an American or Australian not fast enough to make those teams decide to go ‘Neutral’?
No
You’d still need to meet FINA A or B standards to enter, I would imagine.
“Don’t be so overly dramatic about Russian participation. What you’re saying it’s a falsehood. Our press secretary gave alternative facts to that.”
Yes, I saw those competitions, especially the relays..
They were impressive, not 🚫 very friendly with other contenders but okay..
Not 🚫 Ukrainian athletes nor Israel athletes that made the top eight if they were competing there…
They medaled so they deserve the prize money and recognition for what they accomplished..
But they still have to remain neutral without country nor anthem and that is the price that they have to pay, or just don’t compete:
It’s that simple!!!
Should there be a distinction between Neutral A, B or C in the records ? I think it should just be Neutral, just like when you have several teams from the same college
It kind of ruins the whole purpose of a neutral name if you have a 1:1 translation key. When you read Neutral B or ROC you still know it’s Russia, just like when you read Chinese Taipei you know it’s Taiwan
If the money ends up in the athletes’ pockets I’m all for it, but it shouldn’t go through their respective countries hands
I kind of agree with you…but I also get what they’re doing.
I think where I settle is this: the hardcore swim fans are always going to know who has that record, so nothing really can be obscured. For a casual observer, they won’t know Neutral A from Neutral B, so maybe that provides some impact.
I had the same throught.
I wonder if it was simply to clearly delineate that its not a ‘super team’, of the best from each country. In this case, it likely wouldnt change anything since the best are still russian. But you could see a scenario another country has 1 or many swimmers in this scenario and it wouldnt be reasonable to put them together.
I do agree that having a 1:1 relationship defeats the purpose if we mentally all just do the quick math of “what a Neutral team? oh thats russia” like. at that point its all the same anyway, just an pseudonym.
I think the more accurate term would be “enhanced” records
wrong thread. This isnt the Chinese doping thread. These guys are theoretically clean still. They are neutral cause of war, not PEDs.
With that said, i would be curious if their antipoding regulations are still in full swing. I could see that being an easy target to take funds from or at worst actively cheat to further their propaganda.
But thats just me speculating.
Great, they are absolutely entitled to that money. There is another country committing a very bad act in the world without any sanctions (even the ICC has said such country is doing a very bad thing) and they have seen no consequences.
💯 facts