The threat of disqualification for all teams: what Ukraine’s refusal to compete with “neutral” athletes means
The Ukrainian water polo team has found itself at the center of a major international scandal. Our team refused to compete in the 2026 World Cup match against “neutral” water polo players from Russia. Tournament organizers have already punished the Ukrainians with a technical defeat, but this may just be the beginning of extensive sanctions.
This was reported by RBC-Ukraine, citing the official website of World Aquatics.
Read also: “We are defending ourselves”: the head of world biathlon spoke about the legal war with the Russians
Boycott at the World Cup: how it happened
The teams of Ukraine and “neutral” athletes from Russia were set to meet in a match for seventh place in the second division of the World Cup. After a challenging journey through the group stage and playoffs, the “blue and yellow” team faced representatives from the aggressor country. Despite the sporting significance of the match, the Ukrainian team unanimously refused to take the field.
As a result, our team was awarded a technical defeat: the official protocol recorded the final score as 0:5.
All age categories under threat
However, the worst part of this situation is not the loss of position in the tournament table, but the potential consequences from the International Federation (World Aquatics). The Ukrainian Water Polo Federation (UWPF) does not rule out the harshest scenario.
“They can disqualify us as a federation from further competitions in all age categories – from youth to the senior team,” explained UWPF representative Alexander Dyadyura in a comment to “Suspilne Sport.”
Currently, World Aquatics has not disclosed any information regarding further sanctions against the Ukrainian team, aside from the technical defeat.
Ukraine’s path in the tournament
In the group stage of the second division of the World Cup, the Ukrainians secured one victory in three matches, which was enough to advance to the playoffs. At this stage, the “blue and yellow” managed to avoid encounters with “neutral” opponents.
Initially, the paths of the teams did not intersect in the knockout stage either. Ukraine successfully started in the Round of 16, defeating Canada (17:14), but in the quarter-finals, they suffered a heavy defeat to Georgia (9:20). The decisive match for fifth place became crucial: after losing to Australia (15:21), the Ukrainian team’s tournament path crossed with representatives from Russia, leading to the principled boycott.
It is worth noting that today, April 13, World Aquatics fully reinstated Russia and Belarus in aquatic sports.
