What really happened? Now, the synchronized swimmers in the group will have to compete for medals at the Olympics in three programs, not two. The acrobatic was added to the technical and the arbitrary. This is the new synchronized swimming discipline at the world championships. At the same time, there will no longer be a very spectacular combined program at the world championships.
And despite the fact that the performance of Russian synchronized swimming is pure pleasure and, of course, we will be happy to see one more, we cannot be happy for the team and the coaches. And not only because they will have more work, just more a program, less a spare – an alarm for risk of injury. In general, the same number of medals – the load is greater. In addition, there is a rule: the members of the duo must also perform as a group.
Alexandra Patskevich, three-time Olympic champion:
– I am so angry. It’s just killing our sport. If it had been an additional medal, if the number of participants had been increased, that would be another story. And here it seems that people do not understand what synchronized swimming is, that to achieve such an extravagance on the water you have to work very hard and hard, and now the load is even greater. I don’t understand what they want to achieve. That athletes will start to lose consciousness, so that later they will consider other options as an exception to the species or something?
I don’t understand how any sane person can do that to athletes. I don’t know how the girls took it, the technical staff, I have a lump in my throat. We used to train for ten hours, but with a break, and now it should be an endless process? Physically, it’s impossible.
Svetlana Romashina, seven-time Olympic champion
– The load will be increased and very strongly, for the duo it will increase even more. On the one hand, it is the popularization of our sport. Maybe in the future the “highlights” program (now acrobatic – approx.) can replace the technical and free program, it is not excluded – the combined program was so quickly removed from the program of the world championship . It would be more interesting if 10 people participated in the highlights, the accompaniment, the drawings, the reconstruction would be more interesting.
But here another question arises. The Russian team has never participated in this particular program, and it is the “high point” that is introduced in the program of the Olympic Games. Chance? I do not think so.
Alla Shishkina, three-time Olympic champion
– The first thought is that it is good that I have already finished my career. I have always said that synchronized swimmers are universal soldiers, and now the selection for the national team will be even more difficult. Now all eight people should be able to do stunts. One acrobat will certainly not be enough, it takes two, three. The load will increase. It’s hard. I think so: you added a program, removed a reserve – then added a medal.
Vlada Chigireva, double Olympic champion
– There are teams that have never played in an acrobatic program before, for example, our team. We focused on the Olympic programs. China is also focusing on this. From now on, everyone will have to perform in an acrobatic program.
For more than 20 years, Russia has been in a leading position, and the whole world does not know what to think to change that. The first step was to rename Synchronized Swimming to Artistic Swimming, because we have always been recognized for our technique. They changed their name – the Russian team adapted, became more artistic, began to work on the image and choreography even more. Now they have started to change the rules so that synchronized swimming will slide back to the level of 20 years ago – this is being talked about in many countries.
Now, what is difficult to achieve is worth nothing in terms of points. What is easy to do is expensive. They think that in this way it will be possible to eliminate us in one way or another. But we adapt very quickly to new realities. And when our team is admitted, it will be better in the acrobatic group.
Olga Brusnikina, first vice-president of the Russian Synchronized Swimming Federation
– We have heard that there are plans to include an acrobatic group in the competition program of the Olympic Games, but so far we have not seen any official documents from FINA or the IOC. I can say that it will be a very heavy burden for the girls and the coaches. We have a limited team at the Olympics – eight people. And these eight people will have to do three programs in the group, two of them still have to perform as a duo in two programs.
Previously, the “highlight” was an analogue of the acrobatic group, and before there were 10 people in it, and here it is minus two people – I do not know how spectacular it will be. Ten of them would have looked much more impressive.
At one point, the technical committee raised this question about the inclusion of an acrobatic program. She said that it was worth thinking about increasing the number of participants to 10, but, as I understand it, it was not entirely acceptable to the IOC, and this idea could not be realized .
We do not have regular substitutes at the Games, there is only one alternate athlete, which is quite difficult to declare (this can only be done in an emergency – about “”). And the acrobatic program is quite traumatic, and it wouldn’t hurt to have substitutes who will be part of the team, with accreditation etc. I hope this issue will be brought before the IOC in the future.
Tatyana Pokrovskaya, head coach of the Russian national team
– This complicates so much the training program of the athletes who are in duet! They will have five programs, they will have to go six times at the start. We are upset. It is not known what prompted this decision. Like thunder from a clear sky.
Source : MatchTV
