Swimmers opened the scoring: Russian Olympic medalist Girev received neutral status

The next major aquatics tournament will be the World Championships, which will be held in Doha in February 2024. The competition will have qualifying status for the 2024 Olympics in Paris. World Aquatics allowed our athletes to participate in international competitions in a neutral status. And she developed not just strict, but very strict criteria, which today are unconditionally leading in the race: what could be invented so that the athletes of Russia and Belarus themselves decide not to compete? She explained: what she had come up with was based on the recommendations of the International Olympic Committee.

World Aquatics took cues from the IOC and improved the criteria, as they say, from the heart. The absence of an anthem, flag and any paraphernalia is beyond discussion. It goes without saying – this is a common direction for all federations – no relay races (the inadmissibility of our participation in team competitions, that is, where more than one athlete participates, whose joint efforts lead to achieving a result). Unexpected: only one athlete with Russian citizenship can swim at a specific distance. Also: qualifying results for major tournaments must be shown outside of Russia.

Of course, there are no contracts with Russian military structures or intelligence services. Mandatory: lack of support for a special military operation in Ukraine: “any form of verbal, non-verbal or written expression of one’s position, explicitly or implicitly, at any time since the beginning of the SVO, including statements made on social networks, participation in demonstrations or events in support of SVO, wearing any symbols, including the letter “Z”.

No uniform except white. All uniforms (competition, warm-up, official, casual, ceremonial), clothing, equipment, accessories and personal effects that may be displayed at the competition venue must be white and approved by World Aquatics. No mention of Russia in the organizers’ documents: both printed and electronic, including, but not limited to, start protocols, ratings, television graphics.

World Aquatics know-how: both athletes and support staff are prohibited from appearing in the mixed zone, participating in press conferences and giving interviews or comments to journalists. By the way, this point, in addition to shock, caused another reaction, perhaps controversial, but vital, given today’s realities and the trap in which sport finds itself: if earlier politics in it were isolated manifestations, now they will be widespread. Here’s what, for example, two-time Olympic swimming champion Denis Pankratov said: it’s forbidden to give interviews – good. There are journalists who will definitely ask about refugees, bombings and the like, and thank God there will be no such questions. “Our guys will not go there to talk, but to do their job – set world records and win gold medals.”

Federation President Vladimir Salnikov confirmed that there is also a World Aquatics declaration for Russian athletes. It is received by an athlete who declares to World Aquatics his desire to compete in a neutral status. A special World Aquatics commission then reviews the completed declaration. “This did not somehow expand the capabilities of our athletes, it narrowed their capabilities to almost zero. I don’t know anyone willing to speak on such terms. But in the general understanding, this is just humiliation.”

What to agree to and what not to agree to, each athlete will decide. Applications are individual in nature. But headaches are common, and there are also pitfalls.

The Presidium of the All-Russian Swimming Federation (VSF) called the admission criteria for Russian athletes unacceptable. “The All-Russian Swimming Federation will seek the full restoration of the legal rights of our athletes to participate in competitions on the same terms for athletes from all countries in accordance with paragraph 3 of the World Aquatics constitution,” the organization said in a statement.

The WFTU is considering going to court over the stated criteria, “but we are not yet ruling out common sense in the form of correspondence and consultations with World Aquatics. We are using all available methods to ensure that our athletes can perform on a general basis.”

Salnikov says that the situation in aquatic sports is different everywhere: for example, water polo players have almost no chance, like a team event. And in diving, “nine out of ten athletes are under contracts with Dynamo or CSKA, this does not allow them to carry out sports selection.” And the very concept of “sports selection” no longer affects anything. “Hypothetically, a person without merit could get into the competition if he goes through the process and the committee decides he’s qualified.” The federation of such an athlete, Vladimir Salnikov clarified, will neither encourage nor stop him; he himself is responsible for his actions. And he admitted that he didn’t know such people.

And here it is – a pitfall. World Aquatics has just allowed our swimmer Ivan Girev to enter in neutral status. Girev won a silver medal in the 4x200m free relay at the Tokyo Olympics. He also won silver at the 2019 World Championships and is a two-time European champion in 2021. Today Girev turned out to be the first and so far the only Russian swimmer who has received status to participate in competitions of the International Swimming Federation.

Neutral status is, of course, nothing new; judokas, wrestlers, fencers, taekwondoists, and rowers compete… When asked how the swimmer ended up on this list, Vladimir Salnikov suggested that perhaps he decided to see what they would send him : a declaration or something else. “Perhaps there were other reasons. But he had no desire to receive this status, which, as far as I know, he said.” And he forwarded the question of how neutral status was obtained to the athlete himself.

And it’s clear why. According to the protocol, athletes and support staff are required to apply to a special division of World Aquatics to obtain neutral status. And it already conducts a thorough check before issuing a neutral status (at the same time, it is not responsible for the fact that athletes miss certain competitions during the check, and can also revoke neutral status at any time for violations). That is, no one will simply give out status to anyone.

Both Girev and his coach did not disclose the details of the situation. But the position was outlined. The swimmer said that if the country says to defend the honor of Russia even in a neutral status, “then I’m ready, I don’t consider the rest.” And coach Andrei Shishin, who is also the mentor of two-time Olympic champion Evgeniy Rylov, confirmed: we will move depending on the team, on the general decision, on the decision of the federation on the issue of admission under neutral status. By the way, in the professional environment they note that many coaches are very sensitive to their athletes, but Andrei Shishin surpassed many in this regard.

The criteria of World Aquatics are, of course, humiliation. At least look for something positive in some points, like Denis Pankratov, at least close your eyes in horror. But the first swallow to fly forward is there. For the sake of curiosity or to be prepared for anything in any situation, already having access in your pocket, is not so important. An important question that will arise again and again with each athlete who receives neutral status. How will we react to this?

Will we reflect every time? Or will we begin to reduce the intensity of passions regarding decisions that – once again – are made by the athlete himself, submitting the application himself, taking on all further issues? (And now even with the permission of officials at the highest level: “We must be guided by the interests of the athletes. The decision is theirs.”) If an athlete is given the opportunity to choose, does he have the right to make it? Or is this possibility unrealistic?

…A picture from the recent past. The Russian men’s swimming team won silver medals at the Olympics in the relay race, which is called “the pride of the nation” because you can evaluate the level of development of swimming in the country: 4×200 meters freestyle. Participants: Martin Malyutin, Ivan Girev, Evgeny Rylov and Mikhail Dovgalyuk. (Of the listed swimmers, the World Aquatics criteria do not leave any chance for participation in international competitions to Evgeniy Rylov, who was disqualified for appearing at the famous concert in Luzhniki.)

What did the guys say back then in Tokyo? (And that – again – they will not be able to say in Paris in any case due to the non-admission of team events.) “We can be proud of ourselves. We are at the Olympics and showing results. And we are a team! Before this medal, Russians in the modern history of swimming had only once been on the Olympic podium in this type of program. In Beijing 2008, already far away, Nikita Lobintsev, Evgeniy Lagunov, Danila Izotov and Alexander Sukhorukov sorted things out with Phelps’ team and the Australians. Ivan Girev was then eight years old. But he saw that relay race in the recording and said that it was interesting.

Martin Malyutin summed it up in Tokyo then: “You need to perform for the team with a clear head and give everything you have. The British are stronger today. But we have time to work, improve, and we will fight them.” Ivan Girev admitted: “Not everything worked out in the individual swim, but we did not lose heart, we mustered our will. Of course, you can always do better. The British won gold and silver in the 200m individual medley. But that doesn’t mean it will always be that way. We will still stand up for ourselves.” Evgeny Rylov suggested: “Maybe there will still be a chance to excel in the 4×100 meter medley relay. I am glad”. Mikhail Dovgalyuk: “I have never swum faster. Perhaps it was the most difficult swim of my life.”

And as a finisher, leaving behind both Australia and America, whose last word was, he said what all our relay participants thought then: “I would like gold, but I have to earn it. I hope we will get our way in Paris 2024.”