Kolesnichenko, three-time Olympic champion, admitted that she never thought about changing her sports citizenship

Triple Olympic synchronized swimming champion Svetlana Kolesnichenko told that she never thought for a second about changing her sporting citizenship in the context of her exclusion from international competitions.

Russian synchronized swimmers will not be able to participate in the Paris Olympic Games. Both Olympic events – group and duet – are recognized as team events, meaning that even in neutral status, under World Aquatics rules, they will not be able to qualify for the 2024 Games.

— You didn’t want to change your citizenship?

— This question has never been raised. I didn’t think about it for a second.

— Do you watch international competitions?

“I watched the entire World Cup calmly. Many people who sincerely love synchronized swimming did not understand why the strongest teams became seventh, for example. But the rules have changed and we too, looking from the outside, draw some conclusions. The Chinese team, from what I understand, lost gold in one event because they filled out the program cards incorrectly.

I saw how men behaved in groups – many teams included them on the team. Bill May competed and even won silver. Synchronized swimming is developing as best it can. This is probably a fertile time for betting. Previously, everything was more or less clear depending on the top 3. But I hope that when we return there will be no more questions for the winner,” Kolesnichenko told .