Giving an automatic Olympic synchronized swimming place to host country Britain is “not quite fair”, Natalia Ischenko, one half of Russia’s Olympic synchronized swimming duo, told RIA Novosti on Sunday.
The duo of Ischenko and Svetlana Romashina, among the favorites for Olympic gold, would have qualified as European champions if not for Britain, which forced the Russians to compete in an extra qualifying tournament in April.
“It is not quite fair that we were made to take part in the Olympic qualification because the European place was taken by the country hosting the Games,” Ischenko said.
“And so we were made to travel to an extra competition.”
The qualification event doubled up as a test event for the Aquatics Centre in London, and the Russians were pleased with the venue, Romashina said.
“We liked it, the water there’s well-lit enough, and that’s of great importance.”
Ischenko and Romashina won European gold in the duet for the second time at the European championships in Eindhoven on Sunday.
Both swimmers are also in the Russian team group, which did not perform in Eindhoven to focus on developing a new program for London, Ischenko said.
“We have a new program in the group. It’s still not quite ready,” she said.
“As a result, we decided not to perform as a team at the European championships.”
Russia has won both gold medals, in the duet and team, at each of the three Olympics since the events were reintroduced in 2000.
