FINA, the world’s governing body of swimming, announced on Friday that Russian Olympic gold medallist Evgeny Rylov has been suspended for nine months for attending a protest in favor of Russia’s military incursion in Ukraine.

Kremlin and Russian sports leaders were outraged by the move.

Rylov, who won gold in the 100 and 200-meter backstroke events at the Tokyo Olympics last year, was one of several athletes who attended President Vladimir Putin’s rally at Moscow’s Luzhniki stadium last month.

The letter “Z” was emblazoned on Rylov’s and other athletes’ clothing, a symbol used by supporters of Russia’s “special military operation” in Ukraine.

Mr. Rylov’s appearance and conduct at an event hosted at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow prompted the ban, according to FINA.

Rylov, who also lost his Speedo sponsorship due to his participation in the rally, told a foreign sports website that his attorneys were studying the issue but that it was still unclear whether they would challenge his suspension.

FINA’s decision, according to the Kremlin, demonstrates the “politicization of sport.”

On a conference call with reporters, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, “We believe this is utterly opposed to the ideas of sport.”

“When the best (competitors) are denied the opportunity to compete, international federations and international competitions suffer.”

According to a foreign news agency, Russian Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin said Rylov’s suspension was “discriminatory and politicized.”

The president of Russia’s Olympic Committee, Stanislav Pozdnyakov, described it as an instance of nationality discrimination.

“Suspending an athlete for nine months for attending a concert is not even an embarrassment, it’s a joke,” Pozdnyakov commented on Telegram.

FINA has already canceled all of its events scheduled for Russia and has forbidden Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials from competing in its events until the end of the year.