Romashina admitted that it was not easy for her to watch synchronized swimming without Russians at the Paris Olympics

Seven-time Olympic champion Svetlana Romachina told that it was not easy for her to watch synchronized swimming competitions without the participation of Russian athletes at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

Russian synchronized swimmers have been suspended from all international competitions since 2022 and did not compete at the Paris Olympics. The Chinese team won both the group and duet competitions at the 2024 Games. Since 2000, Russian synchronized swimmers have consistently won both the duet and group competitions.

“I thought and hoped that it would be much simpler and easier for me to perceive and watch our sport at the Olympic Games without the Russian team. But of course, the years spent in this sport take their toll. And there were probably more worries than expected, because I still wanted to see our athletes, because they really deserve it.

There are some points that I would like to draw attention to. For example, a schedule. The duet always started the competition, and the group finished it. The group, as a more spectacular sport, it seems to me, should be left for the end. And besides, the athletes who participated in the group exercises already entered the duet, let’s say, in a state of inability to stand. In other words, it was much more difficult for them. In addition, the groups now have three days of competition, and not two, as it was before, which, it seems to me, made it more difficult for many. But as we see in China, they managed it.

The issue of selection is also important. It is carried out across continents. The moment of competition is lost – there is an opportunity to qualify for second-tier teams, while the strongest do not enter.

— Have you watched the Olympic Games?

– Yes, but not as faithfully as possible. But as I work in the field of sports, with my favorite sport, I want us to develop in our country. I want us to be always better, higher, stronger. And I hope that it will be so. But, of course, we still need to see and know the world level and strive to be two heads higher, as it has always been.

So I have mixed feelings about watching it because of the absence of our athletes and the new rules,” Romashina told .

The Paris Olympics will end on August 11.

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