President of the Russian Diving Federation (RFDI) Stanislav Druzhinin expressed confidence that Russian athletes will be allowed to participate in the national championships of Asian countries.
Earlier, Druzhinin told that calling on the International Swimming Federation (FINA) for participation in Asian tournaments is common from Russian federations.
— The transition to Asia is absolutely real. These negotiations take place at the highest level. Going to Asia is our consolidated position with all water sports federations: synchronized swimming, water polo, swimming, we. We have sent an application so that our athletes can participate in tournaments organized in Asia, knowing that in Europe, all movements are closed to us. We do not communicate with the European Swimming Federation, we cannot fly there. Therefore, it is necessary to quickly make a decision, negotiate and cooperate with Asian countries. It is necessary to cooperate in general with all strong countries where there is an opportunity to train and organize joint competitions.
Are they waiting for us in Asia? It’s our job. We have to make sure that we are interesting. Russia is one of the world leaders in diving. It would be interesting to compete with us and with other countries that want to catch up. We are interested in competing with worthy opponents. The main rival from which we can still learn something is China. There are covid issues. Unable to enter the country. We have to decide conceptually what we organize, make a common calendar for the Chinese to participate in our competitions, and us to their departures. We hope the covid story will end soon. In many countries it is already over, but the Chinese have their own approach,” Druzhinin told .
Russian athletes have been suspended from participating in tournaments under the auspices of FINA due to the situation in Ukraine.
Source : MatchTV
