Swimmer Surkova on lack of international competitions: “Almost past the stage of acceptance”

European short course swimming champion Arina Surkova told that she was almost past the acceptance stage due to the lack of international competitions.

Russian swimmers were not allowed to participate in international competitions due to the situation in Ukraine. In September, the International Swimming Federation (World Aquatics) decided to admit the Russians to a neutral status, following recommendations from the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Admission is only individual, without the possibility of participating in relay races, and during the World Championships there is a ban on communication with the media.

The president of the All-Russian Swimming Federation (RSF), Vladimir Salnikov, later said that to be admitted, athletes had to sign a special declaration. At the same time, the FSM intends to seek the full restoration of the rights of Russians to participate in competitions under the auspices of World Aquatics.

— Have you ever wanted to go to the United States to study and train?

– I never wanted to. I wanted to try to go to Europe, but now I don’t want to change anything, everything suits me. As for training in the USA, yes, there is a lot of talk about the suitability of their training for sprinters. If I was younger, maybe it would have gone well, but now it would be difficult to get involved in that.

— Regarding international departures, has the acceptance stage been completed?

– Yeah almost! Of course I want to perform on international stages