At an extraordinary meeting held on April 24, the European Aquatics Bureau voted to allow junior athletes from Russia and Belarus to return to competition in all aquatics disciplines — except water polo — with immediate effect.
The ruling will apply to upcoming events including the European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF) in Skopje (20–26 July 2025). However, while young swimmers, divers, artistic swimmers, and open water athletes from Russia and Belarus will be able to compete under neutral status, water polo remains completely excluded from this relaxation of sanctions.
Key points of the decision:
- Individual Events Only: Russian and Belarusian athletes can enter individual events, but will not be allowed in team formats such as swimming relays, open water relays, or artistic swimming and diving team events. In water polo, no participation is permitted at all.
- Strict Neutrality Rules: Athletes must compete without any national identification. No Russian or Belarusian names, flags, or colors are allowed on competition kits, training apparel, or leisurewear.
- No National Recognition at Ceremonies: Medal ceremonies will not feature national flags or anthems for Russian or Belarusian competitors.
European Aquatics has made it clear that this decision is “in the interests of young athletes, who are not responsible for political actions,” but has drawn a firm line by upholding the complete ban on Russian and Belarusian teams and players in water polo, reflecting the sport’s collective stance across Europe.
This move follows a wider trend in international sport to reintroduce Russian and Belarusian athletes under strict neutrality for individual events, but water polo continues to maintain tougher restrictions, prioritizing the integrity and unity of team competitions.
Why Is Water Polo Still Excluded?
While junior athletes from Russia and Belarus have been cleared to compete under strict neutrality in individual aquatics disciplines, water polo remains fully off limits — and for good reason.
Unlike swimming, diving, artistic swimming, or open water racing, water polo is a team sport, where neutrality is far more difficult to enforce. A water polo team competing without national identity would still, in essence, represent a unified group from the same country, undermining the spirit of neutrality that European Aquatics is aiming to uphold.
Team sports also carry a much stronger sense of national identity — from coordinated uniforms and team tactics to goal celebrations and anthem ceremonies. Even without flags or anthems, the collective presence of a Russian or Belarusian team would be highly visible and politically sensitive within the current international climate.
By maintaining the ban on water polo, European Aquatics is aligning with broader European sporting policies that continue to restrict team participation, recognizing that the dynamics of team sports make neutral competition impractical and highly symbolic.
This firm stance also reflects the continued solidarity across the European water polo community regarding the situation.
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