Posted22 avril 2022, 12:50
Evgeny Rylov, double Olympic champion in Tokyo in the 100 and 200 m backstroke, has been suspended for nine months by the International Swimming Federation (Fina) for his support for the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian army.
Evgeny Rylov, double Olympic champion in Tokyo, will not be able to swim for 9 months for his support of the Russian army in the war once morest Ukraine.
AFP
Double Olympic champion in Tokyo in the 100 and 200 m backstroke, Russian swimmer Evgeny Rylov, has been suspended for nine months by the International Swimming Federation (Fina) for his support for the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian army.
Fina’s Disciplinary Committee has decided to suspend Evgeny Rylov for nine months, “following his participation and behavior in an event at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow on March 18, 2022. The suspension takes effect from April 20, 2022” , Fina explained in a press release.
To celebrate the eight years of the annexation of Ukrainian Crimea, following a pro-Western revolution in kyiv in 2014, Russia organized a demonstration on March 18 at the Luzhniki stadium in Moscow, bringing together 95,000 people inside of the enclosure and 100,000 outside.
Present at a gathering
During this ultra-patriotic rally, banners proclaimed “For a world without Nazism”, “For Russia”, so Russia justifies its military operation in Ukraine launched on February 24 by the need to “denazify” the country.
During his speech, Russian President Vladimir Putin praised the forces engaged in Ukraine, citing in particular the Bible, hailing the “heroism” of Russian soldiers.
Several renowned Russian athletes, including Evgeny Rylov, participated in this gathering. Some were highlighted by going on stage, and sporting the “Z”, a letter that has become a patriotic symbol, as it is inscribed on many Russian tanks deployed in combat zones.
Following the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian army on February 24, Fina first authorized Russian and Belarusian swimmers on March 8 to participate under a neutral flag in the 2022 Worlds, scheduled for Budapest from March 18 June to July 3, before finally deciding on March 23 to exclude them.
(AFP)
