Our #NoBloodInOurPool campaign – calling on Australia to oppose the russian national water polo team competing in Sydney this July – is making front-page headlines.
Today The Sydney Morning Herald (Sun-Herald) and The Age ran a front page story and editorial – and this morning AFUO Chair Kateryna Argyrou spoke on 3AW Melbourne
Serious questions are being asked of the Australian Government.
Team members expected to play at the Water Polo World Cup Finals in Sydney belong to a club funded by Surgutneftegas – a russian oil and gas giant, sanctioned by Australia due to its role in financing russia’s war machine.
The russian Aquatics Federation is headed by Dmitriy Mazepin, a belarusian-russian oligarch – also sanctioned by Australia.
Legal experts warn hosting this national team, and potentially allowing prize money to flow through sanctioned entities, may breach Australia’s own sanctions laws.
Sport in russia is not separate from the state – it is deeply embedded in it. As quoted by Kateryna in the newspaper articles, russia’s participation cannot be separated from its war against Ukraine, nor from the use of elite sport by the russian regime as a “tool of propaganda, prestige and international legitimisation”.
We are deeply disappointed that Water Polo Australia has made no comment on the World Aquatics appalling decision to allow russian national teams back into competition – when russia has only escalated its attacks on Ukrainian citizens – and issued no statement of support for Ukrainian athletes. 660 athletes have been killed by russia, thousands are training under air raid sirens, unable to train in over 800 destroyed sporting facilities.
Our community’s voice is being heard. And we are not done.
Haven’t written to Water Polo Australia or the Government yet? Make your voice heard. It takes 2 clicks, and less than 2 minutes: standwithukraine.good.do/waterpolo/send-email/
Read the full articles in our Newsroom: afuo.org.au/news
#NoBloodInOurPool #AFUO #StandWithUkraine #SportswashingKills #AustraliaStandsWithUkraine
