FINA has voted not to recognize the one-year suspensions issued by the European Aquatics Confederation (LEN) to the nations of Portugal and Croatia after the nation’s representatives signed a letter that used the LEN logo unauthorized.
On November 6, the LEN voted to suspend Portugal and Croatia for one year after the LEN logo was used in a letter issued by a group of nations calling for the current leadership to resign.
The group of nations, working under the name Europe 4 All Aquatics, used the logo in the letter providing information about the campaign to push for an extraordinary Congress in February to elect new leadership. It was signed by Antonio Silva, the president of the Portuguese federation and a member of the FINA Bureau, and Croatian delegate Josip Varvodic.
LEN leaders then issued a note stating that the use of the logo was unauthorized and a “complete violation of the constitution,” following up by voting to suspend the two countries for one year.
The LEN voted to suspend Portugal and Croatia during a meeting at the European Short Course Championships in Kazan with one day of racing remaining. While it was acknowledged that the country’s swimmers would not be barred from completing the competition, they would be unable to compete at the 2021 Short Course World Championships in Abu Dhabi, had FINA approved the suspensions.
FINA RESPONSE
FINA followed up with a statement on Monday, saying that it voted not to recognize the actions taken by LEN after discussion within the FINA Bureau and with the support of six independent legal opinions.
FINA has not recognized the actions taken by LEN for the following reasons:
- The actions did not follow correct due process.
- The actions were clearly politically motivated and driven by self interest.
- The actions go against the ethos of the new FINA leadership which embraces inclusivity, equality, integrity and democracy.
FINA says that the Portuguese and Croatian Federations maintain full rights of membership within the LEN, including the right to attend with a voting right at the upcoming Extraordinary Elective Congress in Frankfurt, Germany on February 5, 2022 and the FINA Extraordinary Congress on December 18, 2021 in Abu Dhabi (UAE).
“FINA calls on LEN Bureau to apply fair and due process for all its acts now and in the future,” the statement concludes.
PORTUGAL & CROATIA RESPONSE
The two nations issued a joint response when the news was first reported that they had been suspended, claiming no official information had been sent to them from the LEN and that they were “surprised and astonished” about the course of action taken by the organization.
You can read the full statement, courtesy of State of Swimming, here.
EXTRAORDINARY CONGRESS
The Extraordinary Congress is still scheduled to take place on February 5, 2022 in Frankfurt.
At the meeting, the agenda has two items: The dismissal of the current LEN Bureau and the election of a new Bureau.
If the Bureau is dismissed, an elective Congress would convene in accordance with the deadlines in the LEN Constitution. The current Bureau would remain in office until the election of the new Bureau.
BACKGROUND
The LEN Bureau received a vote of no confidence on September 25 at the LEN Congress meeting in Budapest, with the motion winning 23 nations to 22 (officially 46-44, with each nation receiving two votes).
Silva handed the LEN Secretary General a request for an extraordinary congress that had been signed by members of 24 European nations, calling for the “Dismissal of the actual LEN Bureau and Election of a new Bureau.”
All of this stems back to LEN President Paolo Barelli, who is facing allegations of financial irregularities. At the LEN Bureau meeting in September, Barelli was bombarded by nation’s representatives with questions regarding non-transparency in his work, a Swiss police investigation, and a lack of communication with FINA.