Swimming crisis deepens as Norway joins Poland in refusing to host Russian and Belarusian athletes

It was announced last week that Russian and Belarusian swimmers will be allowed to compete in events under their own national flags
The Norwegian Swimming Federation has declared it will not host international championships as long as World Aquatics (WA) permits athletes from Russia and Belarus to compete.

This decision, confirmed by the country's governing body President Cato Bratbakk, deepens a growing divide within the global swimming community.

The move comes after WA last week lifted neutrality restrictions , allowing Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in events with their national uniforms, flags, and anthems since 14 April.

The global governing body also reinstated full membership rights for both nations.

"Our position is clear.

We 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," Mr Bratbakk stated on Tuesday.

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.

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.

This stance follows a similar decision taken by Poland last Friday.

World Aquatics did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Ten para-athletes - six Russians and four Belarusians - were permitted to compete under their own flags at last month’s Winter Paralympics.

This ruling was criticised by a number of nations and led to several countries boycotting the opening and closing ceremonies at the Games.

The UK government opted to boycott both ceremonies in response to the decision to allow Russian and Belarusian para-athletes to participate under their own flags.

“We strongly oppose the decision of the International Paralympic Committee to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under their own flags at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games,” a UK government spokesperson said.