Synchronized swimmer Chigireva on World Aquatics criteria: “Where is the justice here? All my life we’ve been looking for excuses to keep ourselves apart.

Double Olympic champion in synchronized swimming Vlad Chigireva in an interview with , she called the criteria of the International Swimming Federation (World Aquatics) for admitting Russians to competitions unfair.

On Monday, World Aquatics published the criteria for admitting Russian and Belarusian athletes to international competitions, based on recommendations from the International Olympic Committee (IOC). According to the restrictions indicated, only solo performances are allowed in synchronized swimming, and this type of program is not Olympic. Thus, the Russian team will not perform at the 2024 Games in Paris. Since 2000, the Russian team has been invincible at the Olympics in this sport.

— I was amused by World Aquatics’ comment about making the criteria as honest and fair as possible. But where is the justice here? I do not understand at all.

The feeling that all my life they’ve been looking for excuses to keep us apart. At first there was a doping story that didn’t concern us at all, but nevertheless, for some reason we traveled under a neutral status, now that’s another story. Time will pass – they will find something else, as long as there are no competitors. Well, if it suits them, then they live more calmly, well. And we will continue to work and our synchronized swimming will become even more beautiful, more technical, it will reach a new level,” Chigireva told .