Swimming’s world governing body FINA said on Friday it had suspended Russian Olympic gold medallist Evgeny Rylov for nine months after he attended a rally in support of Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine, a move that drew an angry reaction from the Kremlin and Russian sports officials.
Rylov, who won gold in the 100 and 200 meters backstroke events at last year’s Tokyo Olympics, was among several athletes who attended a massive rally at Moscow’s Luzhniki stadium last month hosted by President Vladimir Putin.
