FINA is one of the small number of international governing bodies to decide not to ban the athletes from the two countries for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the supporting role Belarus has played.

The FINA Bureau has instead given competitors the option to participate as neutral athletes under the FINA name and flag.

However, it has left a legally robust option of barring them "if their attendance threatens the safety and wellbeing of athletes or places the conduct of competition at risk."

Despite the International Olympic Committee urging International Federations to relocate competitions from Russia, the World Short Course Championships is currently scheduled to be held in Kazan in December.

On Thursday (March 17), FINA told insidethegames the situation was under review following Swiss Aquatics’ announcement that it would boycott the Championships if Russian and Belarusian athletes were permitted to compete.

FINA has reiterated this is still their latest position on the situation.

Otylia Jędrzejczak, the President of the Polish Federation, remarked FINA’s decision-making was not good enough and that the countries must be excluded from the international community.

"The Board of the Polish Swimming Federation, in consultation with the representatives of Poland's seniors, decided to boycott the World Swimming Championships," said President Jędrzejczak, a three-time Olympic medallist.

"This decision is related to the decision of the International Swimming Federation (FINA) to allow players from Russia and Belarus to participate.

"The Polish swimming community, like most representatives of the free world, is shocked by the events that are happening in Ukraine.

"The attack of the Russian Federation on an independent country must involve the exclusion of the aggressor from the international community in all areas of life, including sports.

"None of us can imagine today sports competition with players neither from Russia nor from Belarus, which supports aggression in Ukraine."

Russian forces have encroached closer towards the Polish border as the war has moved to western parts of Ukraine and towards Lviv – a city which is around 43 miles from Poland.

Poland fear Russia’s aggression will not stop in Ukraine and the war could spread across the border.

An estimated two million Ukrainian refugees have crossed over to Poland since the invasion started on February 24.

Swiss Aquatics said the "safety nor the fairness" of athletes can be "guaranteed" at the 19th edition of the World Championships due to concerns over the involvement of Russian and Belarusian participants.

Meanwhile, the European Swimming League has chosen to bar athletes from the two countries.

The World Championships are set to be held between June 18 and July 3 in Budapest, Hungary.

The Championships were due to be hosted in Fukuoka, Japan, but this has been postponed to 2023 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Seventeen Polish swimmers competed in individual events at the 2019 World Championships, but they failed to win a medal.

Wojciech Wojdak won Poland's last medal at the competition when he claimed silver in 2017.