World Aquatics may now ban future Yu Zidi: “We never imagined a 12-year-old girl would swim like that.”

After finishing fourth in the 200m individual medley and qualifying in eighth place for the 200m butterfly final on Thursday night in Singapore, Yu Zidi has stolen the headlines from Summer McIntosh's gold medal haul and Léon Marchand 's astronomical record. No record can surpass the fact that a 12-year-old girl has been able to rub shoulders with the giants of swimming and still hopes to leave these World Swimming Championships with a medal.

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Her participation has sparked all kinds of debates. From a moral and childcare perspective, the understanding that the training Yu Zidi has undergone is too demanding for her physical and mental age. On the other side, differing opinions emerge, pointing out that Chinese culture is different and that it must be viewed through those lenses. In such a complex debate, World Aquatics spoke out Wednesday night in Singapore.

Executive director Brent Nowicki acknowledged to AFP that this case was totally unexpected and surprising, and that they are committed to evaluating and reviewing the selection criteria, which currently set the minimum age at 14 unless someone younger achieved the required mark: "Our A standards are so low, so strict, that I never thought a 12-year-old girl would have the potential to swim like that and achieve that time."

We'll see if we have to take two more steps or if we feel comfortable like this." Brent Nowicki CEO of World Aquatics

The executive first stated that he feels "satisfied" with the rules to protect his sport, emphasizing that this is the first time a situation of this kind has occurred, which he describes as exceptional. Therefore, the rule will be "reviewed." "She's great, she has a great future, and I hope good things come out of this." However, he added: "Obviously, we have to make sure that's the case, right? We don't want to tip the balance and go in the opposite direction, and we have to be careful with that."

For this reason, he concluded by being clear and opening the door to a review: "We'll take a look and see if we need to take further steps or if we're comfortable with where we are."