Two Russian swimmers have requested changes of sporting citizenship, Russian state-owned media is reporting.
Match TV says that European Champion Anastasia Kirpichnikova and Mark Nikolaev have requested the All-Russian Swimming Federation to begin the procedure for them to change sporting citizenships.
Kirpichnikova, 22, has been living and training in France for years. The Ekaterinburg native trains with Montpellier Metropole Natation and has not raced in the pool outside of France since the 2021 World Short Course Championships, which was also her last pool swimming meet representing Russia. She won a silver medal in the 800 free at that meet.
She swam for Russia at the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics, placing 7th in the 1500 free final (adding 10 seconds from her 5th place slot in prelims), 8th in the 800 free final (adding 8 seconds from her 5th place slot in prelims), and 14th in the 400 free. She is the current Russian Record holder in both the 800 and 1500 free in long course meters and short course meters.
She also competed in the 10km open water race, finishing 15th and becoming the first Russian woman to compete at the Olympics in both pool and open water swimming.
She would be France’s fastest woman so far this year in the 400 free (4:08.50), 800 free (8:27.98), and 1500 free (16:07.45). The same was true in 2022, and in 2021 she would have been the fastest French woman in the 800 and 1500 freestyles.
Under new World Aquatics rules, athletes must wait three years since last representing a nation before representing a new nation.
The timing of the news seems to imply that the two filed for change of citizenship after World Aquatics’ new rules took effect, though it’s not clear how athletes who last represented a nation before the new regulations will be impacted. If Kirpichnikova is impacted by the new rules, she would not be eligible to represent France until after the Paris 2024 Olympic Games (December 2024).
Nikolaev, meanwhile, who turns 26 this year, could be eligible to swim in the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Nikolaev, currently training at Bond University in Queensland, is the 8th-best 50 meter backstroker in history and 16th best 100 meter backstroker in history in long course. But with Evgeny Rylov and Kliment Kolesnikov, among others, log-jamming the backstroke races for Russia, Nikolaev has often been the odd man out in the Russian backstroke group.
His last representation for Russia at a major international competition came at the 2019 World University Games. He swam at the 2022 Russian National Championships in Kazan, but that doesn’t qualify as international representation.
He may have been considered a national representation of Russia at two meets in 2022 (the Australian Short Course Championships and the Golden Tour in France), but SwimSwam has reached out to enquire as to his timeline for transferring.
Nikolaev finished 2nd in both the 50 back (25.43) and the 100 back (54.76) at the Australian National Championships last week. Both events are weak points for Australian men right now, especially as it relates to an otherwise-strong medley relay, so Nikolaev could be put to good use in a hurry if he can attain Russian eligibility.
Nikolaev swam collegiately in the United States where as a senior in 2019 he finished 3rd at the NCAA Championships in the 100 back and was named the Grand Canyon University Swimmer of the Century.
“Kirpichnikova and Nikolaev requested a procedure for changing sports citizenship. Kirpichnikova intends to swim for France, Nikolaev – for Australia. The procedure is such that we cannot interfere with anything,” All-Russia Swimming Federation chief Vladimir Salnikov told Match TV this week during the Russian Championships.
Russian athletes have not been allowed to compete in international World Aquatics (formerly FINA) competitions since the country’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. There have been ongoing discussions, pushed by the IOC, about returning Russian athletes to competition across the Olympic space, though World Aquatics has not yet ruled.
Regardless of Russia’s status in upcoming World Aquatics events, it appears that both swimmers have reasons to change their sporting citizenships, either because of where they live (Kirpichnikova) or opportunities (Nikolaev).
Nikolaev, for his part, previously pushed back against the response to the Russian invasion, saying that for the first time as a “straight white male” he understood what discrimination was.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CaapwN7AyAf/
There is a stream of the open water race here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3oJURO262o
Excellent race. Muller with a veteran move at the end to win it. Kirpichnikova was very close. She’s usually back quite a bit in big races.
Like it or not, the Olympics tie athletes to their respective countries, period.
What about those hundreds of USA athletes dumped at home in 1980 because President Jimmy Carter wanted to make a statement; so they were denied Moscow!? They lost a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
FREE athletes from their countries, if you want, but I don’t think that idea is going very far.
The best option would be to continue to select national teams but to also allow athletes ranked in the World top 8/10/15 – pick a number — to participate in major events on the condition they pay for themselves.
Regardless of the current implicit scorn a Russian passport holder will undoubtedly receive right now, generally “the west”, or most countries in the world really, are rather selective in who they let immigrate to them. Basically if you’re passport isn’t of an OECD nation, from a global perspective which those countries disproportionate dominate, you’re kinda a second class citizen* of the world. This goes beyond just your chances of being able to emigrate to “the west”, for example in a place like China a foreigner from Germany will be treated far better than a foreigner from Thailand.
You’ve heard this a million times, but the United States, albeit with it’s many flaws, really is a unique bastion of the world… Read more »
I might be misreading this, but it sounds like you’re saying the US welcomes all foreigners with open arms and that foreigners from all countries are treated equally.
I hope I’ve misread that because I honestly can’t imagine someone saying that with a straight face.
This just doesn’t sound correct. Around 30% of Australia’s population were born outside Australia, with massive proportions coming from India (2nd most immigrants after UK), China (3rd most), Phillipines (5th most), South Africa (6th most), Malaysia (7th most), Sri Lanka (9th most) and Nepal (11th most). None of those countries are in the OECD, and yet combined make up the vast majority of Australian immigrants.
USA isn’t “unique” in terms of immigrants in any sense of the word. I just think you’re ignorant about other countries.
USA has historicslly attracted most immigrants from all parts of the world australia is not even close second
Thank you for that irrelevant statement. I suggest you learn some basic comprehension skills before commenting on things you don’t understand.
Strong woman. Training under one of the toughest coaches in the world, while rejecting the party line in Russia, not to mention that her home town is a major military industrial complex center in Russia. That’s not easy.
She’ll would indeed help France in the 800 and 1500. As far as open water, I will be surprised if she can compete with Muller, who is extraordinary.
That’s the only way for Australia to win medley relay gold medal giving citizenship to russian
Here he is again, bashing on Australia. :-/
They’ve been doing it for about a week now. Just endless trollish hate comments.
Truth always hurts
Perhaps because every time someone posts or someone refreshes to read a post, and then reply, and then check again, and then post again… it’s generating page views and views for the ads.
Honestly that’s the only reason I can think of for a website generating revenue from ads that require page views.
Sorry @mod team and @swimswam, but honestly that’s the only reason I can see for this level of trolling behaviour to not be moderated out of here. Those kinds of posts add literally no value otherwise.
You are doing the same about western superpower nations and china
Anastasiia Kirpitchnikova officially became a French citizen yesterday, on April 21st. She has been living and training for 4 years in France in Montpellier (South of France) . Her coach is Philippe Lucas, the former coach of Laure Manaudou ( gold medallist in Athens 2004 in the 400 free). Apparently, Julien Issoulié, one of the officials of the French federation is confident to see her able to compete in Fukuoka. Even if rules have changed. She’s competing this weekend at the French open Water Championships in the island of Martinique (French Caribbean) . This race gives a ticket for Fukuoka.
Looks like my comment did not make it. A French news site (rmc/bfm) says that Anastassia Kirichnikova has been granted the French nationality this Friday. She is about to compete today in Martinique for a spot in the open water team. A link to an interview conducted more than one year ago indicates that she was pondering the switch. Half of her family still in Barbary was against, the other half was supportive.
As a westerner, I discriminate against countries that commit war crimes.
Mark is not personally responsible for those crimes, and I am very glad he’s taking the steps to disassociate himself from them.
Russia definitely has committed thousands if not more war crimes but what about USA committing those in Iraq/ Afghanistan against innocent civilians? Or does that not concern you when you pass judgement on others.
That means you should first discriminate U.S and other western countries (for Yugoslavia, Iraq, Lybia, Syria etc)/
sorry for opening your eyes, but the US is responsible for this war as well.
they knew everything about it, but tolerated the project
First sentence is the most ironic thing ever 💀