Evgeny Rylov, a Russian Olympic swimmer who won two gold medals at the Tokyo Olympics, has been suspended nine months by the International Swimming Federation for attending a rally in support of Russian president Vladimir Putin and the country's invasion of Ukraine.
According to a report by Will Martin of Insider, Rylov's suspension comes a month after he attended the rally on March 18, which was held about four weeks after Russia's invasion of Ukraine began.
Rylov, who won gold in both the 100 and 200-meter backstroke, appeared onstage at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium, the site of the rally, wearing his Olympic medals and the "Z" emblem -- a military symbol that has evolved from a victory signal to a symbol used by far-right nationalists.
Rylov's appearance onstage took place shortly before a speech by Putin.
Rylov had already suffered consequences over his support of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. He was dropped by sponsor Speedo shortly after attending the rally, which he responded to by telling Russian media that he was being subject to a witch hunt for his success.
"I don't understand what I did, but in the end they filed a complaint against me for that offended the feelings of other athletes," Rylov told Sport-Express in Russia. "You see, I offended them by simply supporting my country, my president. I don't know how to argue with that."
Although Rylov's suspension is officially for nine months, it is effectively only 20 days due to an overarching ban of all Russian and Belarusian swimmers from competing in FINA-sanctioned events through the end of 2022. Rylov's suspension will run through January 20, 2023.
