World Aquatics is disputing a report issued earlier today by the Italian Swimming Federation and claims that Paolo Barelli remains suspended through September of this year.
The Italian Federation, where Barelli, outside of his suspension, serves as President, announced that the 69-year-old had won his appeal case with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and resumed his presidential duties.
However, World Aquatics responded with a statement hours later claiming that the reports are false and that Barelli remains suspended.
Barelli was initially suspended for two years in November 2022, and then his ban was extended to three years this past March.
In September, he lost an appeal with CAS in the case against World Aquatics, and the global governing body says that ruling remains the only one in place.
World Aquatics released the following statement on Wednesday:
World Aquatics notes with concern and regret media reports and also the claims published by the Italian Swimming Federation (FIN) that Mr. Paolo Barelli is resuming the presidency of FIN.
Following a decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on 15 September 2023, Mr. Barelli remains suspended from all aquatics-related activity taking place under the auspices of World Aquatics or its members until 14 September 2024, notwithstanding more recent CAS decisions.
Members of the aquatics community are reminded that any violation of Mr. Barelli’s suspension may result in a referral to the independent Aquatics Integrity Unit and possible further sanction.
The suspension was handed to Barelli for the alleged wrongdoing in three separate cases, including multiple rule violations of the FINA Constitution and the FINA Code of Ethics, during his time as the secretary at FINA.
Barelli was a candidate for the presidency of World Aquatics (then FINA) when current president Husain Al-Musallam won the right to lead the governing body.
Paolo Barelli is president of FIN. Stop.
What a mess
FINA or World Aquatics is so corrupt, and so are many of the senior leaders who have been around forever. The scandal around Zhou Jihong (Vice President) at the last Olympics was just appalling and they took no action against her. Money talks.
lol
So we’re like FIFA now ? I always thought the relative absence of money in swimming at least made those kind of issues less likely compared to football or soccer, but I guess I was naive
FINA (now World Aquatics) has never been run well. Probably not as venal as FIFA, or the body that runs (ruins) world amateur boxing, but not good.
World Aquatics is dictated by China and a handful of corrupt men in the Middle East