Tokyo 2020 – CAS blocks appeal from Uzbekistan Swimming Federation after allegations of cheating

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The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) rejected the appeal of the Uzbekistan Swimming Federation after allegations of cheating and nefarious behavior.

The Uzbek body appealed after FINA, the world swimming body, decided it would not recognize certain results from two swimming competitions held in the country as Olympic qualifying times.

After the CAS decision, a statement from FINA confirmed that its ethics committee will now be convened to decide on the appropriate sanctions to be imposed on the Uzbek Swimming Federation and any other parties involved.

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The FINA executive’s decision came after it received evidence that some results from these two events had been manipulated by the Uzbek Swimming Federation in an attempt to qualify Uzbek swimmers for the Tokyo Olympics, a declared the world swimming body.

Simply put, FINA will not defend any form of cheating or manipulation of events.

The alleged fraud occurred at two separate events held in the Uzbek capital of Tashkent: the Uzbek Open Swimming Cup, which was held in November 2020, and the Uzbekistan Open Swimming Championships, which took place held in April of this year.

Two athletes from the landlocked dual nation had apparently secured their places at Tokyo 2020 after swimming the required qualifying times.

However, Indian swimmer Likith Prema alleged in a YouTube video that the schedules were tampered with for the benefit of home swimmers and that he was offered bribes by Uzbek officials.

The FINA statement continues: It is imperative that FINA recognize aquatic competitions to ensure that the results are not manipulated, that the results are valid and reliable, and that the competitions meet the standards set out in the rules of the FINA.

FINA would also like to thank the whistleblowers for their courage in speaking out against this infamous behavior.

Uzbekistan won 13 medals at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, including four gold medals, including three in boxing.

Two athletes, Vladislav Mustafin and Ranohon Amanova, swam in Rio for the nation, but neither made it past the heats.

Last month, CAS ended three-time Olympic gold medalist Sun Yang’s hopes of competing in Tokyo despite his ban for doping violations being reduced from eight to four years.

It was reported that a member of Yang’s entourage smashed a container of the swimmer’s blood samples with a hammer after Yang clashed with officials in 2019.

The eight-year ban was overturned by the Swiss Federal Supreme Court, but new judges ruled that Yang “had acted recklessly” and banned it until February 2024.

The Chinese swimmer, who won two gold medals in London 2012 and another four years later, will be eligible to compete in the Paris Olympics later in the year.

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