2024 WORLD AQUATIC CHAMPIONSHIPS
- February 11th – February 18th, 2024
- Doha, Qatar
- LCM (50m)
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- Day 1 Prelims Recap | Day 1 Finals Recap
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- Day 3 Prelims Recap | Day 3 Finals Recap
- Day 4 Prelims Recap | Day 4 Finals Recap
- Day 5 Prelims Recap | Day 5 Finals Recap
- Day 6 Prelims Recap | Day 6 Finals Recap
- Day 7 Prelims Recap | Day 7 Finals Recap
Vladyslav Bukhov captured a stunning world title in the 50-meter freestyle on Saturday, clocking a time of 21.44 to upset the past two world champions in the event: Australia’s Cam McEvoy (21.45) and Great Britain’s Ben Proud (21.53).
Bukhov, a 21-year-old Ukrainian, used his platform following the victory in Doha to advocate for an Olympic ban on Russians in Paris this summer. He said they should “absolutely not” compete in five months — even as neutral athletes.
“I want to say Russia is dangerous and should not be supported in competition,” said Bukhov, who broke Andrii Govorov‘s Ukrainian record in the 50 free semifinals (21.38).
“It’s hard, really hard,” he added. “We train while Russian rockets are flying around the swimming pool. You never know if you stay alive or not. It’s difficult. For all Ukrainians.”
There are four Belarusians competing as neutral athletes at the 2024 World Championships in Doha, Qatar, but no Russians. Their conditions for competing include a “no media” policy.
Last month, the World Aquatics Integrity Unit released a list of eight approved neutral swimmers for the 2024 World Championships. Only one Russian swimmer, Ivan Girev, was approved, and he didn’t end up making the trip to Doha.
World Aquatics decided to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to return to the international stage in September, and a few Belarusian swimmers competed at the final stop of the World Cup Series in Budapest in October. They had been banned since March of 2022 due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Belarus let Russia use its territory for the invasion, shortening the route to the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.
In December, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) unveiled plans for Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete individually in Paris as neutrals without a national flag or anthem. In order to be eligible, athletes need to meet a strict set of criteria that includes not “actively” supporting the war in Ukraine and having no contract with the Russian or Belarusian military.
According to the United Nations, more than 10,000 civilians have been killed in Ukraine since Russia’s invasion in February of 2022. Last October, Ukraine’s minister of youth and sports said that 361 Ukrainian athletes and coaches have died in the war, adding that more than 3,000 others are currently fighting in the Ukrainian Armed Forces. On the other side, some reports have identified more than 315,000 casualties among Russian soldiers since the outbreak of the war.
The Russian Olympic Committee lost access to IOC funding last October as part of an indefinite suspension for recognizing sports organizations in four regions illegally annexed from Ukraine.
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Pull off the upset, tell the Russians to kick rocks. The spirit of lake placid lives on
In the spirit of the Olympic Games, there should be a BINDING Olympic truce. And anyone who doesn’t sign it or violates it, can’t compete. That takes the pressure off of individual federations to have to “take sides” and make political declarations and judgements in ongoing conflicts. The IOC throwing all the responsibility back to invidual sports federations is cowardly to the nth degree. Take a stand! Not for any one particular country in a conflict, but for a peaceful Olmypic Games!
He’s Ukrainian, of course he’s going to say this.
Let Double K swim
It’s hard to support a Russian ban and then not support an Israeli ban. There is a myriad of credible evidence that Israel has deliberately targeted civilians and murdered children with zero chance of impacting Hamas. Don’t see how you can possibly support the ban of one and not the other
I simply say we ban both
Hamas started a war in Israel, then cowardly retreated into Gaza to hide among innocents. Please cite your ”credible evidence” that Israel has deliberately targeted civilians and murdered children. Not interested in links to newspaper accounts or videos from news reports. News, which should be objective, is far too often spun to suit those presenting it, as well as how it is presented. As for your word selection of ”myriad,” might be wise to look up definition, because one of the entires is ”a unit of ten thousand.” So, unless you have ten thousand examples of credible evidence, your point is one of exaggeration and not one of exactness.
You’ve created a scenario where you can’t be wrong.
What, do you expect Sub13 to break into the Israel government emails and find an email that says “yes target the civilians”?
Please provide evidence of deaths in Israel that conforms to your ridiculous standards of “don’t show me what the news says, I don’t believe any of it” lolololol.
Micky Mouse clowntown. This is why people don’t want to have conversations about how to solve these problems, because people like you think you can say “WHATEVER GOES AGAINST MY SIDE IS ALL MADE UP AND I WILL ACCEPT NO EVIDENCE TO THE CONTRARY.”
That’s why the middle east has been at war for thousands of years and probably will be… Read more »
When you drop crude, powerful bombs in densely populated areas and wipe out whole families in apartment buildings because you think there might be Hamas fighters hiding amongst the population, it is not “self defence”. It is callous disregard for human life. Russia shows a disregard for international standards and so does Israel.
Wxactly
yeah i agree with this
The International Court of Justice have found Israel of performing genocide on Palestinians.
But we know Israel is protected by the most powerful country on earth.
Actually the ICJ didn’t find that. They court “required that Israel ensure that it does not commit acts that might fall within the scope of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide”.
And 2 weeks after the interim ruling, Israel continues to break the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide as ordered by ICJ.
In one week since the ICJ’s ruling, Israeli forces have continued their military offensive in Gaza, and nearly 1,000 more Palestinians have been killed.
Despite the ruling, hospitals have also continued to be targeted in Israeli attacks, putting yet more strain on Gaza’s collapsing healthcare system
Which means Israel is performing genocide.
It does not mean that “Israel is performing genocide”. Perhaps Hamas should stop using hospitals as shields.
Show me hard evidence Hamas using hospitals as shields, from reputable non-partisans sources, which means not from Israel, USA, and Western Europe.
Meanwhile, Israel are killing babies.
Are babies Hamas?
Also, killing children and babies indiscriminately means Israel is breaking Convention on prevention of genocide.
I wish athletes weren’t pawns in geopolitics
“Igooor, bada boom jagga jagga” Slava Ukraine
Russia must be banned from all competitions until their country leave Ukrainian territory.