World Champs gold medalists Anton Chupkov and Evgeny Rylov are among the big names at Russia’s National Team training camp this month in Krugloye Lake.
The Russian Swimming Federation says the camp will include 25 athletes and 15 coaches. Though the full roster has not been announced, the federation did reveal some of the biggest names this week:
- Anton Chupkov – 2017 & 2019 World Champ and world record-holder in the 200 breast
- Evgeny Rylov – 2017 & 2019 World Champ in the 200 back
- Daria Vaskina – 2019 World Champs bronze medalist in the 50 back
- Svetlana Chimrova – 2016 Olympian and 2018 European relay champion
- Maria Kameneva – 2019 European Short Course Champ in 50 free
- Veronika Andrusenko – (maiden name Veronika Popova), 2012 & 2016 Russian Olympian
- Viacheslav Andrusenko – 2016 Russian Olympian, former relay medalist at European Championships
Our previous reporting had included Vaskina, Chimrova, Nika Godun and Nikolay Snegirev among the other attendees. (See here and here.) National Team coach Sergey Chepik will not attend, as he’s 66 years old and in a high-risk demographic for COVID-19.
In addition, Chupkov’s coach Alexander Nemtyrev was kicked out of the camp after entering a taped-off area of the camp, which violated the quarantine restrictions placed on camp attendees. You can read that report here.
Russian National Teamers were quarantined and tested for coronavirus before the camp, and all participants tested negative, the federation reported last week. The camp should now last until June 22. Swimming is one of many Russian professional-level sports beginning to resume this month after the coronavirus pandemic had shut down organized training camps and restricted pool access.
I don’t quite understand the situation with Russians. I thought they were banned from competing anywhere because of that doping scandal. What’s happening with that then?
They are not banned from competing. They are banned from competing under the Russian flag at major international events. Just as with the 2018 Winter Olympics, they can still compete under a neutral flag, if they meet other conditions, such as having not been found to be a participant in the alleged coverup of positive tests.
Assuming the sanctions aren’t overturned, will these neutral flag Russian athletes be able to swim relays at the Olympics?
While some new information could appear that would change this, based on the restrictions as written, and how those restrictions have been applied in the past, they would. The punishment relating to the flag, specifically, is really more symbolic, and frankly the Olympics are all about nationalism and symbolism, so a symbolic punishment shouldn’t be overlooked. Some of the other punishments, like not hosting and not having members on boards and committees, is much more tangible and impactful organizationally than the flag issue is, but the flag issue cuts more to the heart of what the Olympics are and have been for many decades: advertising, for countries.
They will likely compete as a team called “OAR” or “Olympic Athletes from… Read more »