Olympic silver medalist in the 100m butterfly, Evgeny Korotyshkin might not make it the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic Games because he is struggling to fund his way in the sport, he told reporters on the first day of action at Russian nationals in Kazan.

Based in Italy with the ADN Swim Project, Korotyshkin is seeking about $32,000 to cover his costs per year. Peanuts in many sports and well within the means of budgets recognisable to those in Kazan preparing to spend multi-millions on hosting the world championships in 2015 in a country facing difficulty when it comes to funding the actual business of honing elite swimmers.

"I don't know whether I will prepare for Rio," Korotyshkin told a press conference at the Russian Cup in Kazan. "There were some changes and my financing was cut. To plan for the Olympics, I have to sell my silver medal and invest (the money) into myself."

The 29-year-old coached by Andrea Di Nino alongside several Russian teammates, also said that the motivation beyond the money may not be strong enough within him to get him to Rio.

“Now,I don’t quite understand why I should do it, to win prizes or to prove something,” he said. “It’s a difficult situation for both the federation and the swimmers who have personal preparation plans, because they need to find finances themselves.”

Korotyshkin, a two-time world champion, has also won six European titles.