An Olympic swimmer barred from competing for attending a pro-Putin rally entered Russia's national championships just 4 days after his ban started

• Evgeny Rylov was banned from swimming last week after attending a pro-war rally in Moscow in March.
• Rylov, who has two Olympic golds, entered Russia's national swimming championships just days later.

Evgeny Rylov, a Russian swimmer given a lengthy ban by world swimming bosses for attending a pro-war rally in Moscow, has caused further controversy after entering Russia's national championships despite his global ban.

Rylov was sanctioned by the International Swimming Federation (FINA) last week in relation to his attendance at President Vladimir Putin's rally at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium in March, which was held to drum up support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Double Olympic gold medalist Rylov was one of a number of elite Russian sportspeople to attend the rally, appearing alongside a number of other Olympic medalists. The 25-year-old appeared onstage at the rally wearing his Olympic medals and the "Z" symbol, which has been seen painted on Russian vehicles in Ukraine, shortly before Putin gave a speech.

On Thursday, he was given a nine-month-long ban by FINA, although the ban is effectively only 20 days long because all Russian swimmers are already banned from international competition until the start of 2023.

Despite the ban, however, Rylov has already entered the Russian national championships, which started this weekend and run until Friday, per a report from news agency TASS, which cited the All-Russian Swimming Federation.

Rylov is listed to compete in the 100- and 200-meter backstroke, the events in which he won gold at Tokyo, as well as the 50-meter backstroke and 100-meter freestyle, TASS said.

The head of the All-Russian Swimming Federation, Vladimir Salnikov, says that Rylov is allowed to compete because the Russian championships are not sanctioned by FINA this year, swimming news site Swimswam reports.

Soon after it was reported that Rylov will compete, however, FINA said that it would investigate if he had immediately broken his ban by entering the event.

"FINA is aware that Mr. Rylov competed in the Russian Championships this weekend and has launched an internal review to ascertain whether FINA sanctions or rules have been broken," it said in a statement to Inside The Games.

Since being pictured at the rally, Rylov has continued to back Putin and the Russian regime, and argued that he is being used by swimming bosses as a scapegoat.

After being dropped by his main sponsor Speedo, Rylov was defiant.

In an interview with Russian media he suggested he was subject to a witch hunt due to his success and claimed that he is the global face of his sport.

"I think the whole point is that I am the world face of swimming and double the demand on me," he told newspaper Sport-Express.

"If it wasn't for me who went on stage at Luzhniki, but for someone else from the swimmers, they might not even pay attention. At the Olympics, I attracted increased attention, and now it is riveted to me in all aspects of life," he said.