Over 100 Russian swimmers "cleared to compete"

According to recent reports from Russia's TASS news agency and the UK-based website "Race Insider," World Aquatics has announced that 12 Russian swimmers— including Denis Adevyev, Ekaterina Sorokina, and Vladimir Ivanov—have been added to the list of neutral athletes eligible to compete. With this addition, the total number of Russian athletes permitted to participate in international competitions as neutrals now stands at 110.

At the 2024 World Short Course Swimming Championships held in Budapest, 27 Russian athletes were permitted to compete as neutral competitors—marking their first participation in the event after a three-year hiatus due to sanctions. The Russian team went on to claim a total of 6 gold medals and 4 silver medals.

Today, as the eligibility criteria for competing under a neutral status expand, Russian swimmers are already gearing up to participate in the 2025 World Swimming Championships and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

In September 2023, World Aquatics allowed athletes from Russia and Belarus to compete as neutrals in events approved by the federation, provided they meet certain criteria. These include prohibiting the use of national anthems and flags, requiring athletes to explicitly reject support for any political conflict or war, and banning press conferences or any form of media interaction.

In October 2024, the Russian Swimming Federation announced the formation of an athlete group, allowing athletes to compete in World Aquatics events as neutrals. Following this decision, World Aquatics lifted its previous ban on Russian athletes participating in team competitions—though the ban remains in place for water polo events only.

According to Russia's Match TV, Dmitry Svishchev, First Deputy Chairman of the Russian State Duma Committee on Sports, stated that other international sports federations should also resume constructive dialogue with Russia, much like the World Aquatics Federation has done. "This is a positive and important step toward normalizing global sports development," he added. (Liu Yupeng)

At the 2024 Budapest Short Course Swimming World Championships, the neutral team composed of Russian athletes finished second in the medal standings with 6 gold and 4 silver medals, sweeping both gold medals in the mixed medley relay events—both for men and women.

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