After the aggression against Ukraine, LEN or the European Water Sports Organization banned all Russian athletes, including clubs and national teams from international competitions. It was then clear that Russia would not compete in the 35th European Water Polo Championships, which will be held this year in Split from August 27 to September 10, reports Sportske Novosti.
Since Russia qualified for this competition in both men’s and women’s competitions, it was necessary to determine which national teams would come to Croatia instead of Russia.
It was decided that Slovenia in the men’s competition and Slovakia in the women’s competition would compete in Split this summer. The Slovenian men’s team was third in the A qualification group, behind France and Germany, but has the highest average of points scored of all third-placed teams. More precisely, Slovenia was equal with Belarus, but since Belarus has also been disqualified, Slovenia will be the national team to travel to Split.
The women’s competition will thus feature the national team of Slovakia, which is the best third-placed team in the qualifications compared to Portugal and Switzerland.
The 35th European Water Polo Championships will be held from August 27 to September 10, 2022, in Split.
While the event was supposed to be held in early or mid-summer, the European Champs were moved to late summer since the World Championships were moved to May 2022.
“To have our top water polo event in July 2022 would mean an unbearable load for our great water polo players who will need to enjoy a substantial recovery period after an unprecedentedly busy spring. Athletes’ welfare has always been at the core of LEN’s policies, and we shall never move away from our principles. Therefore, the Croatian Water Polo Federation and the local organizers were all very supportive of holding the championships at the end of the summer,” said LEN President Paolo Barelli when announcing the dates.
The European Championships will be held at Spaladium Arena, which has a capacity of 10,000 spectators.
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