Russian Diving Federation Receives Formal Invitation to Participate in 2023 Asian Games

The Asian Swimming Federation has formally invited Russia to participate in diving events at the 2023 Asian Games, Russian state-run media outlet TASS reported this week.

This is the first formal invitation for Russian athletes to compete in Asia, a deviation from their typical participation in European events, after Asian sporting officials hinted that both Russia and Belarus could be allowed into Asian competitions.

Russia has been banned from competition by most global sporting federations over the country’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. That ban does not necessarily extend to national or regional championships – where eligibility is left up to the events’ organizers. Most European federations, where there are concerns both about Russian participation alongside Ukraine, as well as spillover of the war into Europe, have blocked Russia from participating as well.

Not only has that precluded Russia from the prestige of continental championship events, but it has kept them out of early stages of Olympic qualifying, which has already begun in some sports.

“The Asian Swimming Federation sent us an official letter with a proposal to apply for participation in the Asian Games, which will be held in the Chinese city of Hangzhou from September 23 to October 8,” Stanislav Druzhinin, the President of the Russian Diving Federation, said. “Even though these competitions are not qualifying for the Olympic Games, we are interested in participating in them, our athletes need practice.

“In the near future we will send our application to the Asian Federation.”

Countries can begin earning quota spots for diving at the Paris 2024 Olympics at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships, where the top 12 performers in each individual event will obtain a spot for their countries. After that, each continent will allocate a certain number of spots based on a continental qualification tournament.

For Asia, that tournament is the 2023 Asian Diving Cup, dates for which have not yet been determined. The winners of the individual events at each continental qualification tournament will receive a quota place for their country.

If spots remain under the cap of 136 divers (men and women combined), they will be allocated based on the results of the 2024 World Championships.

Russia‘s status for the initial qualification opportunity at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships is still uncertain – World Aquatics has refused to comment on their eligibility to compete.

If they then attend the Asian Diving Cup, and win events, they will leave a sort of limbo over whether the IOC will accept the results of the event.

Divers of the Russian Olympic Committee won 1 medal at the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics. China is the country’s dominant diving force, winning the maximum 12 medals and 7 out of 8 golds in Tokyo. All of their quota spots, though, will likely be earned at the World Championships this summer.

That would leave Russia to battle with countries like Japan, Malaysia, and South Korea, the only other Asian countries to earn bids to the Olympics in diving in 2021, for those Asian Cup slots.

Japan’s highest individual finish in Tokyo was Rikuto Tamai, who was 7th in men’s 10-meter. They also had a couple of pairs finish 5th in synchronized events (which only allow one qualifier per country).

South Korea had one diver, Woo Ha-ram, finish as high as 4th on men’s 3-meter. Singapore had one diver, Nur Dhabitah Sabri, finish 4th on women’s 3-meter springboard, at the Tokyo Olympics. Those are the countries that will likely be impacted most if Russia is allowed to participate

There were no reports of Belarus being formally invited to the Asian Games in diving or any other sports. Unlike Belarus, Russia does lay a geographic claim to Asia: 75% of Russia‘s territory is located in Asia, though 75% of its population is in Europe.

The 2023 Asian Games, postponed from 2022 by the COVID-19 pandemic, are scheduled for September 23-October 8 in Hangzhou, China.