The Russian Aquatics Federation enters the brand new Olympic quad beneath a number of new names in management. Past aquatics, the nation’s press secretary urges dialogue with worldwide sports activities organizations and is okay with the impartial flag.
Olympic bronze medalist Sergey Fesikov was introduced because the Federation’s new Sports activities Director of Swimming. Fesikov retired from skilled swimming in 2023 with over two dozen European Championship medals and a 2012 Olympic bronze medal within the males’s 4×100 freestyle. The 36-year-old is accountable for designing and overseeing a “goal coaching program” for the nationwide group.
Final week, the Federation additionally introduced that Radmir Gabdullin will function the brand new Secretary Common. Job tasks for Gabdullin, who comes from a background in martial arts administration, embody anti-doping compliance, communication with authorities authorities, and industrial partnerships.
Russian diving, in the meantime, enters the brand new quad with Olga Feoktiskova as the game’newly-appointed head coach. Feoktistova competed in two Olympics as a diver and went to a different two as a coach. She is finest recognized for teaching Alexander Bondar, a 3x European Champion and Olympic bronze medalist in platform occasions.
The brand new period of aquatic management comes at a turning level for Russian sports activities. A number of of its sports activities groups, swimming specifically, are making strides in direction of reintegration into the worldwide sports activities scene after their 2022 IOC ban. Russia’s Presidential Secretary, Dmitry Peskov, used the swim group for example of this reintegration.
“Whether it is attainable to conduct a dialogue to make sure that our athletes take part in competitions, I’m satisfied that this must be carried out,” Peskov instructed Russian media in December. “And the instance of swimming confirms this.”
Underneath a impartial flag, the Russian swim group ranked second on the medal desk on the 2024 Brief Course World Championships, incomes six golds and ten medals. Solely 4 months prior, on the Paris Olympics, they solely had one particular person impartial athlete on the Olympics.
Peskov doubled down on his help of dialogue with worldwide sports activities organizations in an interview this week.
“After all, we’ll proceed to work patiently to make sure that our athletes have the chance to participate in worldwide competitions,” the state official stated. “Even when it’s in impartial standing at first, the primary factor is to begin enjoying and return to worldwide sports activities life.”
