“Following his attendance at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow at the weekend, Speedo can confirm that it has terminated the sponsorship of Evgeny Rylov with immediate effect,” the company said in a statement to CNN.
“We condemn the war in Ukraine in the strongest possible way and stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine, our athletes and our teammates who have been impacted by the conflict.”
“As part of this decision, any outstanding sponsorship fees will be donated to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR),” Speedo added.
In a statement to CNN, the International Swimming Federation (FINA) — swimming’s world governing body — said: “FINA is deeply disappointed to note the reports regarding Evgeny Rylov’s appearance at the Luzhniki Stadium during Friday’s rally. We are investigating the matter further.”
FINA is one of the few sports governing bodies still allowing Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete as neutrals, despite recommendations from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for an outright ban.
CNN also contacted the Russian Swimming Federation for comment but they did not immediately respond.
