Russian Olympic gold medallist swimmer Evgeny Rylov is banned from the sport for nine months. He was seen appearing at the Putin rally. He was seen supporting a rally of President Vladimir Putin and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Rylov stood on stage along with the medallists from other Olympic sports at the event. He wore a jacket with a “Z” written on his chest. The letter is not a part of the Russian alphabet. It has become a symbol of support for Russian troops. It was used as a marker on Russian armoured vehicles that are operating in Ukraine.
Rylov Banned By FINA
Rylov was the star of Russia’s swim team during the Olympics in Tokyo last year. He won two gold medals at the event.
His ban began Wednesday and will last for 9 months. Rylov was not a part of the international competition. He will not be allowed to take part in any of the competitions. The effect on Rylov will mostly be symbolic since FINA is also planning to extend the decision to exclude competitors from Russia. Its ally Belarus from all international events will not take part in any competitions in 2022.
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FINA previously banned Russia and Belarus from the world championships in Hungary. The last June and July, the players were banned and were not allowed to participate. A few Russian players were not allowed to enter the events. At the time, FINA said that Russia planned to boycott all international events. This is something that Russia denied. That position has been clarified now.
“The Bureau also confirmed its position that Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials will not be invited to any FINA event through the end of 2022,” FINA said Thursday. FINA’s remit will cover a range of aquatic sports that will include: swimming, diving, water polo and artistic swimming.
IOC Backs Sanctions
International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach has indicated that he backs disciplinary measures against the athletes such as Rylov.
“The IOC president made it clear that the IOC supports sanctions against anybody in the Olympic community who is in support of the war, and continues to monitor the situation,” the IOC revealed on Friday. They released an official statement at the meeting Bach held with Ukrainian sports officials.
The IOC has previously urged the event organizers to ban the Russian and Belarusian athletes and teams. They will not be allowed to take part in the competitions. Bach said last month that in special circumstances they will prohibit any identification of their nationality.
There has been no word of any disciplinary investigations against the Russian athletes taking part in any kinds of sports. The games will include figure skating, gymnastics and skiing which also appeared at the March 18 rally.
