The International Federation has lifted key restrictions on representatives of aggressor countries <\/p>\n
The International Swimming Federation (World Aquatics) has decided to lift major sanctions against Russia and Belarus. Athletes from these countries will now be able to compete on the international stage under their own symbols.<\/p>\n
This was reported by RBC-Ukraine, citing the official decision of World Aquatics.<\/p>\n
Also read:<\/strong> “We are defending ourselves”: the head of world biathlon spoke about the legal war with the Russians The federation’s decision means that Russian and Belarusian athletes are now returning to full-fledged competitions. This applies not only to individual events but also to team sports, particularly water polo and artistic swimming. Until now, such a level of “amnesty” at the adult level existed only in sports like judo and sambo.<\/p>\n World Aquatics President Hussein Al Musallam explained the decision as a desire for “peaceful competitions.”<\/p>\n “Over the past three years, we have helped to understand that conflicts can remain outside of sports. We are committed to ensuring that pools remain places where athletes from all countries can come together,” the statement said.<\/p>\n Conditions for the return of flags<\/p>\n Despite the permission to use national symbols, World Aquatics has set a number of requirements for athletes from Russia and Belarus.<\/p>\n Anti-doping control: athletes must undergo at least four consecutive tests from the International Testing Agency (ITA).<\/p>\n Background checks: The Integrity Unit (AQIU) will closely examine each athlete’s activities for support of the war or connections with security forces.<\/p>\n The organization has already conducted more than 700 such screenings.<\/p>\n A dangerous precedent<\/p>\n The easing began back in February 2026 when the European Federation restored the rights of Russians at the junior level. Now, World Aquatics has gone significantly further than other international organizations. Some federations (volleyball, fencing) have only relaxed sanctions at the youth level but still maintain sanctions at the adult level.<\/p>\n Previously, the Ukrainian national water polo team officially refused to hold a match against representatives of Russia under a “neutral” flag.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The International Federation has lifted key restrictions on representatives of aggressor countries The International Swimming Federation (World Aquatics) has decided to lift major sanctions against Russia and Belarus. Athletes from these countries will now be able to compete on the international stage under their own symbols.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":69370,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"magazine_newspaper_sidebar_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[74],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-69504","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sport-en"],"yoast_head":"\n
\nThe end of “neutral” status<\/p>\n