Olympic champion Shishkina: “It’s hard for me to imagine the Olympic Games without Russian synchronized swimmers. It’s a blow”

Triple Olympic synchronized swimming champion Alla Shishkina told that it was bitter for her to even think of the Olympics without the participation of Russian synchronized swimmers.

World Aquatics has approved the criteria for the admission of Russian athletes to international competitions. According to the criteria, Russians will not be allowed to participate in the team events. In the case of synchronized swimming, these are both Olympic disciplines – pairs and groups. Thus, the Russians will not be able to participate in these events and qualify for the Paris Games.

– That’s why I thought we wouldn’t make it to the Paris Olympics. I was ready for them to accept the duo as a team discipline. Coaches and athletes, of course, hoped until the end that everything would go well…

It’s hard for me to imagine it, I’m very bitter, sad, it’s just a blow to our synchronized swimming. World synchronized swimming without our synchronized swimmers and synchronized swimmers will also lose and public interest will disappear. And the level will drop too. Despite the fact that rivals now rejoice and collect gold medals, even those who never dreamed of it. It’s great that other teams have the opportunity to prove themselves and get on the podium. But for world synchronized swimming it is a loss, – Shishkina told .

The Olympic Games in the French capital will be held from July 26 to August 11, 2024.