Belarusians Win World Cup Medals in Return to International Competition as Neutrals

2023 WORLD AQUATICS SWIMMING WORLD CUP – BUDAPEST

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A trio of Belarusian Olympic swimmers returned to international competition at the third and final stop of the World Cup series this weekend in Budapest, Hungary.

Last month, World Aquatics updated its policy on Russian and Belarusian participation at international meets, laying out a plan for them to compete as neutral athletes without a national flag or anthem if they pass a vetting process to ensure they don’t “actively support” the ongoing war in Ukraine. The policy put the global governing body in line with the latest recommendations from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) issued in March.

The vetting system orchestrated by the Aquatics Integrity Unit is meant to determine if swimmers have publicly supported the war or are under military contract. Because of the time-consuming nature of that process, World Aquatics had previously indicated that Russian and Belarusian swimmers would not make their “neutral” debuts until February’s 2024 World Championships in Doha, Qatar. However, three Belarusians — Anastasiya Shkurdai, Alina Zmushka, and Ilya Shymanovich earned approval this month after 20 months in limbo. A spokesperson for World Aquatics would not comment on whether any Russian swimmers sought neutral status for the World Cup series this fall.

For Shkurdai, Zmushka, and Shymanovich, it was their first time racing outside of Belarus and Russia since the 2021 Short Course World Championships.

Shkurdai, 20, secured a silver medal in the 200 back (2:09.67) while also placing 4th in the 100 back (59.90). Her best times are 59.08 and 2:06.95 from 2020 and this April, respectively.

Zmushka, 26, also picked up a medal with a 3rd-place finish in the 50 breast (30.53) and a 4th-place showing in the 100 breast (1:07.00). She was only a tenth behind her best 50 breast time and about half a second off of her best 100 breast time.

Shymanovich, 29, placed 5th in the 50 breast (27.13) and 9th in the 100 breast (1:00.59). His best times are 26.28 and 58.29 from April and 2019, respectively.

The three Belarusian Olympians weren’t the only swimmers competed under a neutral banner in Budapest. Jarod Hatch also swam as a neutral athlete after Philippine Swimming Inc. (PSI) was suspended by World Aquatics in February.