Norway has joined Poland in refusing to host international swimming championships while athletes from Russia and Belarus are permitted to compete under their national flags, according to statements from the Norwegian Swimming Federation (NSF). The decision follows World Aquatics’ move last week to lift neutrality restrictions that had barred Russian and Belarusian athletes from using national symbols since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
NSF President Cato Bratbakk told Reuters that Norway will not host any championships as long as Russian and Belarusian senior and junior competitors have full access, entry rights, and are permitted to use their flags and national anthems. The federation is scheduled to meet with Nordic colleagues next week to build momentum against World Aquatics’ decision.
World Aquatics lifted the neutrality restrictions on April 14, 2026, allowing swimmers from Russia and Belarus to compete under their national flags, uniforms, and anthems. The global governing body also reinstated full membership rights for both nations, reversing policies that had been in place since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Poland’s Swimming Association announced on Friday that athletes from Russia and Belarus would not be welcome to compete at next year’s European Diving Championships if the war in Ukraine is still ongoing. Norway has never hosted the World Aquatics Championships and last co-hosted the European Aquatics Championships in 1985.
The move by World Aquatics followed that of the International Paralympic Committee, which admitted Russian and Belarusian athletes under their national flag at the recent Games in Milan-Cortina. Ten para-athletes – six Russians and four Belarusians – were permitted to compete under their own flags at last month’s Winter Paralympics.
Competitors from Russia and Belarus were initially banned from international sporting events following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, which was partly launched from Belarusian territory. The UK government opted to boycott both the opening and closing ceremonies of the Paralympics in response to the decision to allow Russian and Belarusian para-athletes to participate under their own flags.
Norway is now actively seeking a broader regional boycott of hosting duties. “We are scheduled to meet with Nordic colleagues next week, where we hope our position will create momentum against the decision made by World Aquatics,” Mr Bratbakk added.
The Norwegian Swimming Federation’s stance reflects growing concern within the global swimming community about the return of Russian and Belarusian athletes to international competition under national symbols. World Aquatics did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the federations’ decisions.
This development deepens the divide in aquatic sports over how to respond to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, with some nations advocating for continued restrictions while others support the return to normal competition under international sporting bodies’ guidelines.
For ongoing updates on this developing story and other international swimming news, readers are encouraged to follow official announcements from World Aquatics and national swimming federations.
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