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Russia Floats Idea of Dual Meet With U.S. After 2024 World Championships in February

Russian Swimming Federation leader Vladimir Salnikov said on Saturday that he approached USA Swimming with a proposal to face off in a dual meet next February immediately after the 2024 World Championships in Doha, Qatar.

“I approached the U.S. Swimming Federation about holding a match meeting immediately after the world championships in Doha [in February 2024],” Salnikov said, according to Russian state-run media outlet TASS. “Now they are considering this proposal, but some people with whom I spoke, including the legendary American coach Mark Schubert, were very positive.”

However, USA Swimming chief commercial officer Shana Ferguson told The Sports Examiner on Monday that “leadership of USA Swimming has not spoken to the Russian Swimming Federation about this matter.”

Salnikov mentioned speaking with Mark Schubert, who served as National Team Director from 2006-10 and worked on eight consecutive U.S. Olympic team staffs from 1980 until 2008. However, Schubert unsuccessfully ran for a seat on USA Swimming’s Board of Directors this year as a self-nominated candidate.

Russian swimmers have been banned from international competition since last March for the ongoing war in Ukraine, but they are expected to return as neutral athletes at the 2024 World Championships. Salnikov has remained skeptical that Russian swimmers will compete at the Paris 2024 Olympics, insisting their focus is on the L.A. 2028 edition.

Russia’s dual meet proposal is complicated by the fact that the U.S. is only sending 18 swimmers to the 2024 World Championships, including just five women.

But if the meet did somehow take place, it wouldn’t be the first time the two nations have faced off in a dual meet as their rivalry dates back to the Soviet Union days in 1971. They also went head-to-head in 1978, 1981, and 1989.

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Proper Pog
11 months ago

Readings these comments makes me realize how all the stupid wars started.

Some things don’t change.

Great idea 💡
11 months ago

I would not be opposed to the idea. The US and Russia could have a better relationship, and if it starts with little things like this then I welcome it. And for the people who are saying “but RuSsIa InVaDeD uKrAiNe”… yes what their government did was not right, but it’s not fair to blame it on the athletes and citizens. The US government has also done some messed up things throughout the years, like invading Iraq and Iran, and the world didn’t isolate Americans as a whole or ban them from worldwide events. The US and Russian populations could actually be friends if it wasn’t for both governments throwing shit at each other all the time. Soo yeah.. I… Read more »

Steve Nolan
11 months ago

I keep floating the idea of Tom Brady letting me smell his hair, but I’ve yet to receive a response to my DMs.

This feels similar.

Willswim
Reply to  Steve Nolan
11 months ago

Have you reached out to Mark Schubert to help facilitate?

snailSpace
Reply to  Steve Nolan
11 months ago

Comment of the week! (Keep trying bud, it might happen yet).

SwimmerGuy
11 months ago

Genuine question: At what point is encouraging this dialog an extension of propaganda. I get this is just posting an article talking about swimming, but considering how many malicious activities they are known to do, it would be easy to tack on a few items like these to build goodwill and at least be perceived as ‘just trying to swim’. All they need to do is push out a few “we are interested in setting up a meet with anyone”. Knowing the are actively not adhering to universally held standards and its minimally likely to succeed They can now claim to be trying to do the right thing.

SwimmerGuy
11 months ago

[NO GOD! PLEASE NO!!! NOOOOOOOOOO.gif]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umDr0mPuyQc

PVSFree
11 months ago

Also important to note here that TASS is a Russian state-owned propaganda outlet. Feel like the Russian swimming officials might’ve just had a conversation with Mark Schubert floating this idea and called it a day.

MIKE IN DALLAS
11 months ago

Well, let’s just take a longer look here:

  1. Chinese have imprisoned over one million Uighurs, but they are still competing;
  2. The Kurds have been persecuted by several countries, including Turkey, but they are still competing;
  3. Syria has so much blood on its hands, but they are still competing;
  4. Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, but they are still competing;

So perhaps the question of moral equivalence needs to be re-evaluated vis a vis Russia vs. TEAM USA

NB: I support Ukraine 100%, but where is the balance in this discussion? Slava, Ukraini!

JoeB
Reply to  MIKE IN DALLAS
11 months ago

You left a few details out, didn’t you Mike in Dallas?

For example, the U.S. separating mothers from their children at the border and keeping they separated for months. U.S. police killing unarmed African-American men at an alarming rate. The Republicans redistricting in certain states to prevent minorities from voting. The Supreme Court overturning Roe vs. Wade. States enacting laws against the gay community.

Mike, if you want to talk about the morals of a country, perhaps you should start in your own back yard. Isn’t your governor the one who is busing immigrants all over the country? Immigrants are humans and they have rights, do they not?

Stefe
Reply to  JoeB
11 months ago

Don’t kill a good story with facts

WillW
Reply to  Stefe
11 months ago

True, that.

JimSwim22
Reply to  JoeB
11 months ago

Isn’t Mike making the point that Russia shouldn’t be banned because many other countries are guilty of bad acts?

WillW
Reply to  JimSwim22
11 months ago

Only Mike in Dallas can speak for Mike in Dallas. But, if you are going to list other countries and their sins, why are you omitting the U.S. and its sins? Is the Chinese imprisoning Uighurs so different than the U.S. jettisoning Native Americans to reservations when it usurped their land?

Robert
Reply to  JoeB
11 months ago

I think you missed the point Joe. In your attempt to argue (weird) you basically just made another example for Mike in Dallas.

JoeB
Reply to  Robert
11 months ago

Wasn’t arguing. Simply found his list shortsighted when it came to moral equivalence. Perhaps, you can answer this question, Robert. Is there another country out there that ”rebranded” the near genocide of a native people and called it Thanksgiving and celebrated it once a year? Or is the U.S. the only one?

jeff
Reply to  JoeB
11 months ago

i dont think he intended for the list to be exhaustive

JoeB
Reply to  jeff
11 months ago

Why look across oceans for examples when there are numerous in your backyard? The list was selective for a specific reason. Let’s not fool ourselves in thinking otherwise, shall we?

Chadius Daddus
Reply to  JoeB
11 months ago

You’re proving him right dawg. Why are we allowed to compete but Russia isn’t?

JoeB
Reply to  Chadius Daddus
11 months ago

The point isn’t who’s right, who’s wrong. The point is examples used. It’s a consistent theme each and every time. It’s China. It’s Syria. It’s the rest of the world. It’s never the U.S. Why is that? Is it xenophobia? If it is, then be transparent.

Proper Pog
Reply to  JoeB
11 months ago

I think you just proved his point… lol

JoeB
Reply to  Proper Pog
11 months ago

Best to be a voice, not an echo.

Carlo
Reply to  MIKE IN DALLAS
11 months ago

China imprisoned 1 million Uygurs? Who did the counting, and who came up with that ridiculous number?

Last edited 11 months ago by Carlo
Carlo
Reply to  Braden Keith
11 months ago

China gave human rights watch those numbers?

Pieter H
Reply to  MIKE IN DALLAS
11 months ago

How about USA invaded Iraq and killed a million Iraqi civilians on the basis of fabricated WMD by Bush administration?

And yet USA swimmers continued to swim in every international meets uninterrupted.

Anonymous
Reply to  Pieter H
11 months ago

Sadam Hussein invaded Kuwait who then asked the World for help. The USA and the World responded.

Juan Cena
11 months ago

Sorry, we’ll be training for the Olympics (something that Russia wouldn’t understand)

FlaneurHawaii
Reply to  Juan Cena
11 months ago

HAHAH!

About Braden Keith

Braden Keith

Braden Keith is the Editor-in-Chief and a co-founder/co-owner of SwimSwam.com. He first got his feet wet by building The Swimmers' Circle beginning in January 2010, and now comes to SwimSwam to use that experience and help build a new leader in the sport of swimming. Aside from his life on the InterWet, …

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