Anger in Poland over the return of swimmers from Tokyo due to a strange administrative error

Six Polish swimmers who were supposed to participate in the Tokyo Olympics were forced to return from Japan even before the games scheduled for Friday began, after the local swimming federation sent a large number of athletes due to an administrative error. The swimmers returned home on Sunday, expressing their anger, threatening legal action and calling on the president of the Polish Swimming Federation to resign over the accident. The number of the swimming team that was sent to Japan reached 23 people, knowing that the swimming competitions will start on Saturday. "I would like to express my deep regret, sadness and bitterness at this situation," swimming federation president Pavel Slominsky said in a statement.

Slominsky admitted the error, but said it was motivated by a desire to "allow as many athletes and coaches as possible to participate" in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, postponed last year due to the coronavirus.

One excluded swimmer, Alicia Khurch, wrote on her Facebook page, attacking the "incompetence" of the Polish Swimming Federation, saying that they "misunderstood the rules".

"Imagine that you sacrificed five years of your life and ... your sacrifices led to complete failure," said Takhrush, who participated in the Olympic Games in London 2012 and Rio de Janeiro 2016.

The words of the swimmer Matush Khovaninis, who in turn is one of the returnees to his country, was no different from his compatriot, writing on “Instagram”: “This is a ridiculous situation that should never happen.”

Meanwhile, the Polish Ministry of Culture and Sports urged the head of the local swimming federation to "provide immediate explanations" about the accident.

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