World Aquatics Opens The Door For Neutral Athletes To Enter Relay Teams
Neutral Athletes (NAs) will now be able to compete in relays at World Aquatics events after updated guidelines for athlete participation came into force on 18 November 2024.
The Guidelines for Athlete Participation in World Aquatics Events During Periods of Conflict were published by the Aquatics Integrity Unit and relate to swimmers from Russia and Belarus.
Among the most significant updates was that relay teams of neutral athletes from the same country can now be entered into World Aquatics competition.
When World Aquatics prepared to welcome Russians and Belarusians back as neutral athletes in September 2023, they said: they “will only be permitted to compete in events where a time or result is established by the performances of a single athlete” which ruled out participation in team events in any of the aquatic disciplines – and water polo entirely – and meant relays couldn’t be entered.
At the 2024 World Championships in Doha, neutral athletes were identified as Neutral Independent Athletes (NIA) while the four neutral pool swimmers in Paris – Ilya Shymanovich, Anastasiya Shkurdai and Alina Zmushka of Belarus with Evgenii Somov the sole Russian – competed as Individual Neutral Athletes (AINs)
Water polo is still entirely excluded from World Aquatics events with the global governing body stating: “For the avoidance of doubt, no athlete having a sport nationality from a nation in Conflict shall be authorized to participate in any Event involving the aquatic sport of water polo, which intrinsically involves inter alia physical contact between athletes.”
The World Aquatics guidelines reinforce the previous ones that state that athletes applying for neutral status are forbidden from having any contractual relationship with either the Russian or Belarusian military.
Nor can they show support in any way for any conflict be it verbal or written, including on social media – such as liking pro-war posts – or participate in pro-conflict or pro-war demonstrations or events, or wear any symbol which can “reasonably be interpreted as in support for any Conflicts.”
No government or state official will be invited to or accredited for an event nor will any World Aquatics competitions be staged in Russia or Belarus.
The flags and anthems of their countries of origin are replaced by those of World Aquatics.