MOSCOW, April 22, Alexander Sergeev. Russian Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin called it illegal suspension of two-time Olympic champion in swimming Yevgeny Rylov from competitions for attending a concert-rally in Luzhniki. The International Swimming Federation (FINA) on Friday announced the suspension of Rylov from competitions under the auspices of the organization for 9 months for participating in a festive concert in honor of the Day of Reunification of Crimea with Russia, which took place on March 18 at Luzhniki. Earlier, the FINA disciplinary commission opened a case against Rylov. «Removal of Rylov? This decision is unlawful. Each federation sets its own rules, but this is a completely politicized decision. Evgeny is not only the pride of Russia, but also the pride of all world navigation. Today, the position of some organizations makes additional difficulties in the development of world sports,» Matytsin told reporters. Rylov is 25 years old. He is a two-time Olympic champion of the Tokyo Games, the swimmer also won silver in the Japanese capital, and bronze at the 2016 Olympics. Rylov is a two-time world champion and three-time winner of the world short course championship.
