The standings indicate that Ukraine lost with a score of 5:0.
Earlier, the President of the Ukrainian Water Polo Federation, Alexander Svishchev, said that Ukrainian athletes would not participate in this match. He called World Aquatics' decision to admit Russians from 2026 “immoral.”
The head coach of the Ukrainian water polo team, Alexey Shvedov, said in a media comment that the decision not to play with the Russians was “the only correct one,” he was quoted by the Tribune publication.
According to Shvedov, the Ukrainian athletes were very charged and motivated, but refused to perform because they did not have the moral right to play against the aggressor, who is constantly destroying Ukraine and killing Ukrainians. This position was supported by all team members. He also noted that all the athletes and all the teams at the World Cup supported this decision of the team.
Context
In November 2025, World Aquatics decided to allow athletes from Russia and Belarus to participate in competitions in a neutral status starting January 1, 2026, the organization’s press service reported.
In February 2026, the European Aquatics Federation allowed Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under their own flag at junior and youth international competitions. The decision was made in accordance with the recommendations of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to ease sanctions against teams from the Russian Federation and Belarus.
April 13 The press service of the International Aquatics Federation (World Aquatics) reported that all restrictions on Russian and Belarusian water sports athletes have been lifted. Now they will be able to fully compete in international tournaments, in particular, perform with national symbols – flags and anthems.
