Russian synchronized swimmers won gold at the 2026 European…
Russian synchronized swimmers won gold at the 2026 European Championships in Paris amid accusations of plagiarism after using a routine element first performed by Spain in the semifinals. The controversy centered on a final routine connection that helped Russia surpass Spain, with Spanish athlete Alica Ozogina and others criticizing the move as unethical.
Consensus
- Russian synchronized swimmers won gold in the team free routine at the 2026 European Aquatics Championships in Paris.
- The Russian team scored 285.0346 points, finishing ahead of Spain (282.3541) and Italy (256.1558).
- The controversy arose after the Russian team used a connection in the final that was first performed by Spain in the semifinals.
- Alica Ozogina, a Spanish synchronized swimmer of Russian origin, publicly criticized the Russian team's use of the element.
- The Russian team's head coach, Svetlana Romashina, confirmed that the connection was used in the final and had been kept secret from judges until then.
Points of divergence
- Svetlana Romashina confirmed that the Russian team used a connection first shown by Spain in the semifinals. — tg_echoonline_news
- Alica Ozogina criticized the Russian team's victory on social media, stating that the gold medal was won through plagiarism. — vm
- Inga Grebennyuk-Giller, coach of the U.S. junior team, claimed that Russia copied an innovative hybrid element from Spain and used it to increase difficulty, thereby gaining an unfair advantage. — fontanka
- Russian coaches did not comment on the issue of borrowing, only stating that the team took a risk and concealed the element until the final. — fontanka
- Svetlana Romashina was named a trusted representative of Vladimir Putin during the 2024 presidential election. — tg_echoonline_news
- Svetlana Romashina publicly supported Vladimir Putin's candidacy and defended Russian athletes' participation in international competitions after the invasion of Ukraine. — tg_echoonline_news
Coverage (4 sources)
- Portrait of the Day: Svetlana Romashina — head coach of the Russian synchronized swimming team, accused of stealing an element... — ЭХО / Новости
- The Russian national team in synchronized swimming won gold in the free routine at the European Championship. The American coach and the Spanish synchronist accused the team of stealing an element — ЭХО / Новости
- Spanish synchronized swimmer with Russian roots accuses Russian team of plagiarism at European Championships — Вечерняя Москва
- Victory with a scandal: Russian synchronised swimmers accused of stealing an element after gold at the European Championships — Фонтанка