Russian Swimmer Under Investigation, Loses Speedo Sponsorship After Attending Vladimir Putin Rally
JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP via Getty
Russian swimmer Evgeny Rylov is in hot water after attending a rally hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday.
The International Swimming Federation (FINA) confirmed in a statement on Wednesday that the 25-year-old athlete is under investigation for a possible violation of federation rules following his reported participation in a pro-war rally at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow.
Additionally, Speedo has "terminated" its sponsorship deal with Rylov, according to CNN and USA Today. (PEOPLE did not immediately receive a response from Speedo.)
Rylov was one of eight Russian athletes to attend Friday's rally at Luzhniki Stadium, the home of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow and the 2018 FIFA World Cup, according to human rights activist Fuad Alakbarov and Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta, per CNN.
The two-time Olympic gold medalist and his colleagues appeared to be wearing their Olympic medals around their necks and a letter "Z" written in Russian colors on their jackets, per the reports.
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In Wednesday's press release, FINA reaffirmed its support for Ukraine and its athletes in the wake of Russia's invasion of the country, which began Feb. 24. FINA also announced that Russian and Belarussian athletes were be banned from the FINA Swimming World Championships, prompting the Russian Swimming Federation to withdraw all Russian aquatics athletes from FINA events for the remainder of 2022.
"FINA maintains its strongest condemnation of the Russian invasion of Ukraine," the federation said in Wednesday's release. "FINA also wishes to reiterate its commitment to supporting the Ukraine Swimming, Diving and Artistic Swimming Federation as they prepare for upcoming competitions."
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Additionally, FINA announced its decision to remove Russia as host of the FINA Swimming World Championships (25M) scheduled for December.
"The scheduled dates of 17-22 December 2022 will be maintained, and FINA is currently in discussions with potential hosts to take over the event," the federation said in the release.
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Meanwhile, Speedo said in its statement that "any outstanding sponsorship fees will be donated to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)."
"We condemn the war in Ukraine in the strongest possible way and stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine, our athletes and our teammates who have been impacted by the conflict," the company said, per CNN and USA Today.
FINA was one of the only federations to continue allowing Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete amid the countries' offensive against Ukraine, albeit without national symbols. But the federation reversed course on March 8.
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On Wednesday, Rylov announced on Instagram that he would be refusing to attend the 19th FINA World Championships in Budapest in July "in support of the Russian Paralympic athletes, in support of all Russian athletes who have been suspended from international competition," according to a Google translation.
By losing competitions, he wrote in Russian, "the development of sports is lost."
"No matter how sad it may sound … the sport cannot move without worthy competitors," the swimmer wrote. "Conclusions should be made by the federations about the direction in which they want to develop sports and whether Pierre de Coubertin wanted to see when he initiated the organization of the Olympic Games, which were supposed to unite people."
FINA has requested that the disciplinary panel's proceedings regarding Rylov be expedited, according to Wednesday's release.
The Russian attack on Ukraine is an evolving story, with information changing quickly. Follow PEOPLE's complete coverage of the war here, including stories from citizens on the ground and ways to help.
