Swimmer Somov: “They called from Moscow and offered me to compete for their federation, but I didn’t want to do something that could harm my neutral status.”

Russian swimmer Evgeny Somov said he refused to compete for the Moscow Swimming Federation because he did not want to harm its neutral status for admission to the Paris Olympics.

Earlier Thursday, Somov failed to qualify for the 50-meter freestyle, posting the 44th fastest time in the preliminary heats (23.43). 16 athletes with the fastest time advanced to the semifinals.

— They called me from Moscow and offered me to play for their federation. I asked how much it would cost, they said 60-80 thousand rubles, but it cost me a lot to fly, more than a day, plus acclimatization. I’m going into the red. If they had offered something adequate… I also didn’t want to do something that could harm the neutral status,” a correspondent reports.

The games in Paris will take place from July 26 to August 11. All Russian athletes will compete in a neutral status.

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