OREANDA-NEWS  The admission of domestic athletes to top competitions, which was sanctioned last year by the International Aquatics Federation (World Aquatics), as expected, apparently turned out to be more of a formality due to the super-strict criteria invented by the structure. None of them will take part in the February World Cup in Doha.

This excludes the possibility of Russians participating in the Olympics in Paris in two sports at once — diving and open water swimming. Those who are engaged in them have already lost their chances to qualify for it. The prospects for representatives of the most prominent of the species controlled by World Aquatics — "classic" swimmers - to qualify for the Olympic Games seem to be getting more and more vague.

The fact that Russian athletes will not compete at the World Aquatics Championships, which opens in Doha on February 2, was reported by leading news agencies. The deadline for submitting applications for participation in the competition, which is one of the main sporting events of the first half of 2024, expired on Tuesday. However, World Aquatics confirmed that there was not a single representative of Russia in the list of registered participants.

This situation may seem surprising at first glance. The fact is that back in September, World Aquatics joined the international federations, which, following the recommendations of the International Olympic Committee, canceled the suspension of Russian and Belarusian athletes, which came into force in 2022, shortly after the start of a special military operation. However, even then it was obvious that the admission could be, in fact, formal. It's all about the criteria developed by World Aquatics.

Absolutely all federations have provided decisions on the return of Russian athletes to top competitions with a number of complicating reservations. However, in the case of World Aquatics, their number and rigidity looked simply unprecedented.