European Aquatics President Visits Russia with Eye toward 2030 Euros
European Aquatics president Antonio Silva visited Russia this month to discuss, “plans concerning the European Aquatics Championships in Kazan in 2030,” per the organization’s newsletter.
Silva had what the organization described as “a series of high-level meetings focused on international cooperation, the future of aquatic sport and opportunities for athletes, coaches and officials.” He met with Russian Aquatics president Dmitry Mazepin and Russian Olympic Committee president Mikhail Degtyarev as well as government officials in the Republic of Tatarstan, of which Kazan is the capital.
Among the topics were “the progressive reintegration of Russian athletes” after they’ve been banned from international competition for years over the country’s invasion of Ukraine.
“President Silva emphasised the importance of constructive dialogue, mutual respect and athlete welfare, while reaffirming European Aquatics’ commitment to maintaining its rules and integrity standards,” the press release read.
It would seem to be the latest step toward allowing Russia back into the international fold, a move that Silva will know comes over the explicit objections of many of its members.
Russian athletes were banned from international competition to varying degrees starting in 2022. The International Olympic Committee gave sport governing bodies latitude to determine how that would work, from outright bans to limits on anthems, flags and national regalia. It also advised sports governing bodies not to stage events in Russia (or Belarus, which provided material support to the Russian war effort).
In the summer of 2023, the IOC declined to extend invitations to Russia and Belarus, meaning they wouldn’t have an official presence at the Paris Olympics in 2024. A select number of athletes under strict conditions competed as neutral athletes in Paris, a decision that World Aquatics assented to in late 2023.
The international Paralympic Committee lifted its ban on both nations in 2025. European Aquatics decreed in early 2026 that Russians and Belarusians would compete as neutral athletes at the 2026 European Championships, though World Aquatics in April allowed full reintegration. The IOC provisionally lifted the suspension on Russia in July.
Kazan’s installation as a potential host in 2030 would be another step toward financial entanglement with Russia. European Aquatics has not formally announced a host for the 2028 European Championships, though Russian news agency TASS reported last year that it was planning to host it. Kazan had been slated to host the 2024 edition, but that was moved to Belgrade in the wake of the war.
Kazan has long been a regular stop on the international circuit, but the war with Ukraine that Russia launched in February 2022 has paused that. In the immediate aftermath, World Aquatics moved the 2022 World Junior Swimming Championships out of Kazan to Lima, Peru. That year’s World Short-Course Championships were relocated to Melbourne, Australia.
Kazan was due to host the 2025 World Aquatics Championships, but that was move to Singapore.
