LEN, the governing body for aquatics in Europe, has condemned the acts of violence in Ukraine and has postponed a Women’s Euro League Quarterfinal match that is scheduled for Russia.
LEN’s statement:
The Board of European Aquatics (LEN) would like to express our strong support and solidarity with Ukraine’s athletes in these unprecedented times.
LEN believes in the spirit of sport, which brings nations together in a peaceful way, and strongly condemns all acts of violence. We urge all parties to work quickly on securing a diplomatic resolution to the crisis. LEN will now discuss, in a democratic manner, the best way to support Aquatics in this region.
In particular, all competitions, including the Women’s Euro League Quarter-final game, scheduled in Russia are postponed to a date and place to be confirmed.
LEN is working in close contact with representatives of the Ukraine Swimming Federation to ensure they have the necessary support.
Discussions about how to manage the impact of the crisis on upcoming competitions has been added to the agenda for discussion at the next LEN Bureau meeting.
Teams are currently playing in the second of three Euro League quarterfinals in a tournament held for the top European water polo clubs on the continent. The fourth, scheduled to be held in Russia between Russian side Uralochka and Italian side Padova, has been suspended. The move came after local Italian authorities banned travel to Russia, which means that Padova could not travel for the match.
LEN expanded, saying that the match should be held in a neutral country, but they are not yet certain which one.
In wake of the current situation in Ukraine, there were question marks in relation to the upcoming Euro League quarter-final matches which feature two teams from Russia. As of today, Kirishi’s game in Budapest will go ahead as the 2017-18 champions arrived at Hungary. At the same time, Padova’s trip to Russia is cancelled as the Italians were stopped by the local authorities which ban any travel to Russia these days. Thus, the game between Uralochka and Padova is suspended until further notice – it should take place at a neutral venue, however, it’s yet to be explored which country is available to host the match.
The match scheduled for Russia was due to be the 2nd leg of a two-leg matchup for advancement to the semifinals/Final 4. The winners are based on the aggregate differential between the two teams at the end of two legs.
Fighting has intensified in Ukraine on Friday as Russian forces move closer to heavy population centers, with US government officials saying that some of the at least 200 missile launches by Russia have hit civilian areas.
The LEN calendar does not currently have any major events scheduled for Russia in 2022, though Kazan did host the 2021 European Short Course Swimming Championships last November.
FINA, so far, has declined to move any events from Russia, though several other international leagues and federations, including Formula 1, the men’s soccer Champions League, and the international skiing federation, have done so.