Swimming brand Speedo reportedly cancels deal with Russian Olympic gold medalist after he attends pro-war rally

• Evgeny Rylov was one of a number of Russian athletes to attend a pro-war rally Friday.
• The swimmer has now been dropped by his sponsor, Speedo, Inside the Games reported.

The swimming brand Speedo has reportedly canceled its sponsorship deal with the Russian Olympic gold medalist Evgeny Rylov after he attended a pro-war rally in Moscow.

Rylov, who won gold in both the 100- and 200-meter backstroke events at the Tokyo Games last year, was one of eight Russian athletes identified at the rally hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Luzhniki Stadium Friday.

The 25-year-old swimmer appeared onstage wearing his Olympic medals and the "Z" symbol, which has been seen painted on Russian vehicles in Ukraine, shortly before Putin gave a speech. Among the other athletes photographed at the rally were the cross-country skier Alexander Bolshunov, who won three gold medals at the Beijing Games last month, and the Olympic ice dancers Nikita Katsalapov and Victoria Sinitsina.

"Following his attendance at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow at the weekend, Speedo can confirm that it has terminated the sponsorship of Evgeny Rylov with immediate effect," Speedo said in a statement to Inside the Games.

"We condemn the war in Ukraine in the strongest possible way and stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine, our athletes and our team-mates who have been impacted by the conflict," it added.

According to Inside the Games, Speedo will donate the balance of Rylov's sponsorship fee to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, which is helping those fleeing Ukraine amid Russia's invasion.

Inside the Games also reported that swimming's world governing body, FINA, announced it was investigating Rylov's attendance at the event.

"FINA is deeply disappointed to note the reports regarding Evgeny Rylov's appearance at the Luzhniki Stadium during Friday's rally," a spokesperson told the publication. "We are investigating the matter further."

—Fuad Alakbarov ⁠⁠ (@DrAlakbarov) March 19, 2022

Putin ordered an invasion of Ukraine on February 24, citing the need for the "demilitarization" and "de-Nazification" of the neighboring country, whose president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, is Jewish.

In his speech at Friday's rally, Putin praised the "special operation" in Ukraine, saying Russia had "not had such unity for a long time."

He also repeated his unfounded claims that Ukraine was committing genocide against Russian-speaking people in its eastern Donbass region.

"This really was genocide," he said. "Stopping that was the goal of the special operation."

The Russian actor Vladimir Mashkova also spoke at the rally, after which his daughter Masha, also an actor, went on CNN to criticize him.

"What's happening right now is just unthinkable," she said. "And the fact that so many Russian people, including my dad, believe that this violence is somehow justified — it breaks my heart."