Speedo ditches sponsorship of Russian Olympic champion after rally

Swimwear giant Speedo has ditched its sponsorship of Russian Olympic champion Evgeny Rylov after he appeared at a rally hosted by Vladimir Putin, apparently showing support for the invasion of Ukraine.

The backstroke star was seen with nine other Russian athletes at the rally in Moscow, where he was wearing his two Olympic gold medals on top of a jacket with the ‘Z’ symbol emblazoned on it. 

The letter ‘Z’ is not part of the Cyrillic alphabet, but has become a symbol of support for Russian troops.

The rally – which was seen as a morale booster for Russians as their troops faltered in Ukraine in the face of fierce resistance – was held to mark the eighth anniversary of Putin’s annexation of Crimea in 2014.

The Speedo decision comes a day after the world swimming body, Fina, banned Rylov, 25, for nine months for attending the rally.

Fina said it made the decision ‘following Mr Rylov’s attendance and conduct at an event held at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow’. 

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