LONDON – Russian Olympians who attended a rally in support of President Vladimir Putin and the invasion of Ukraine face a backlash, with one losing a sponsorship deal and facing a disciplinary investigation.
Cross-country skiing, gymnastics, figure skating and swimming medalists gathered on the stage at Luzhniki Stadium on Friday as part of the concert and entertainment program surrounding Putin’s speech.
Olympic swimming champion Evgeny Rylov is under investigation for his participation in the event, the sports federation told The Associated Press.
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“FINA is deeply disappointed to learn the reports of Evgeny Rylov’s performance at the Luzhniki Stadium during Friday’s rally. We are continuing to investigate the matter,” the governing body said in an email on Tuesday.
Rylov has also lost his endorsement deal with swimwear maker Speedo for his involvement in the pro-Putin rally.
“Following its visit to the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow over the weekend, Speedo can confirm that Evgeny Rylov’s sponsorship has ended with immediate effect,” the company said. “We condemn in the strongest possible terms the war in Ukraine and express our solidarity with the people of Ukraine, our athletes and our teammates affected by the conflict.”
Speedo said it will donate the rest of Rylov’s sponsorship fee to UNHCR, the United Nations organization that cares for refugees.
Most of the athletes, including Rylov, wore jackets with a “Z” on the chest at the rally. The letter is not part of the Russian alphabet, but became a symbol of support for Russian troops after being used as a marking on Russian armored vehicles operating in Ukraine.
Other Olympic medalists in attendance were figure skaters Victoria Sinitsina, Nikita Katsalapov, Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov; cross-country skier Alexander Bolshunov; and twin rhythmic gymnastics sisters Dina and Arina Averina.
Athletes stood on stage as the national anthem was played, a reference to Russian teams at last year’s Summer Olympics in Tokyo and this year’s Winter Olympics in Beijing not having the anthem at their ceremonies due to years of doping disputes.
The event took place on the anniversary of Russia’s annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, with patriotic songs and praise for troops and Russian-backed separatists.
“Not long ago we supported them in this difficult Olympic season, now they support the war against us and our country,” Ukrainian ice dancer Oleksandra Nazarova wrote on Instagram last week with a picture of four Russian skaters taking part in the rally .
Nazarova and her partner Maksym Nikitin are both from Kharkiv, the predominantly Russian-speaking city in north-eastern Ukraine that has been subject to intense bombardment by Russian forces.
Since the invasion, dozens of sports have banned Russian and Belarusian athletes from their events after the International Olympic Committee recommended banning them from competition. Belarus was an ally of Russia in the war.
There is precedent for a Russian competitor to have been personally punished for supporting government policies. Gymnast Ivan Kuliak faces disciplinary hearings for wearing a “Z” symbol on the podium next to a Ukrainian competitor, and chess player Sergey Karjakin was jailed for six months on Monday for social media posts vocally supporting Putin and Russian troops locked.
The governing bodies for skiing, gymnastics and skating have banned all Russian teams from their events. Swimming didn’t do this, but says Russians and Belarusians must compete “in a neutral capacity.”
Rylov, on the other hand, posted on Instagram on Wednesday that he would boycott the World Swimming Championships in June and July “as a show of support” for Russian athletes who have been banned from other competitions.