The Council of the International Swimming Federation (FINA) ratified on Tuesday the decision that Russian and Belarusian swimmers can compete as neutrals, but agreed that it could prevent you from participating in certain tournaments if your attendance threatens security and the well-being of the athletes or puts the development of the competition at risk.
The FINA council met Tuesday by videoconference to discuss the impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine with the support of Belarus, and the measures in place against Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials who participate in the championships it organizes.
“At the time that denounced the Russian invasion of Ukraine and discussed the repercussions of the ensuing war on athletes and events it organizes, FINA opposed a general ban on all athletes and officials from Russia and Belarus and maintained its position that swimmers from these countries should only participate in the championships as neutrals,” he says.
This decision “was supported by an overwhelming majority of the FINA Athletes Committeewho confirmed his opposition to a blanket ban on Russian and Belarusian swimmers.”
However, the FINA council recognized that “the concern for the safety of athletes and the viability of the championships could justify the exclusion of swimmers and/or teams in some circumstances”.
“In addition to its commitment to monitor the serious situation and make other decisions as necessary, the Council expanded the measures available to FINA and approved new regulations that now give FINA the power to review the participation of athletes and officials in tournaments on a case-by-case basis in emergency situations, such as the current war in Ukraine,” he adds.
With this legal basis, FINA “could prevent athletes and officials from Russia and Belarus from attending any competition organizes if their assistance threatens the safety and well-being of the athletes or puts the development of the competition at risk.
From now on, FINA states that “will carefully review all championships on the calendar before making any decision to suspend athletes or teams”. “These reviews will respect all athletes and their rights, and will ensure the safe conduct of the Competitions,” he adds.
Likewise, the FINA council “committed to increase its collaboration with the International Testing Agency (ITA) to ensure that the necessary measures are taken to continue with out-of-competition doping controls in Russia, Belarus and Ukraine during this difficult period. ”.
FINA specifies that “it will continue to give priority to measures aimed at supporting the Ukrainian swimming community.” (D)
Source: Eluniverso
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