Swimming Australia Will Not Send Teams to Competitions Scheduled for Russia
In light of the recent invasion of Ukraine by Russia, Swimming Australia released a statement indicating it will not send any international teams to events held in Russia. Australia’s announcement came on the same day in which FINA revealed that it was taking the World Junior Championships, scheduled for the summer, out of Russia.
Here is the full statement from Swimming Australia:
Swimming Australia welcomes the decision by FINA to cancel the World Junior Championships in August and has made the decision to not send teams to any other events currently scheduled in Russia, including the FINA World Short Course Championships in December.
The decision has been made with athlete and staff safety the priority, whilst also acknowledging the role the that sports must play within the international landscape.
Swimming Australia strongly condemns the actions of the Russian Government and is appalled by the developments in Ukraine.
Swimming Australia CEO, Eugenie Buckley, said athlete safety was the top priority of any sport, while taking a leadership position on appropriate issues was also important.
“The decision not to send our athletes to Russia is based on safety reasons first and foremost.
“We would also like to see FINA consider relocating these events to alternate locations so our swimmers have the opportunity to race in a safe environment.”
Given the importance of the pathway to Swimming Australia, an alternate international event is being planned for the Juniors swim team with our Pan Pacific partners.
Swimming Australia will continue to monitor the situation ahead of the FINA World Championships in Budapest in June.