The 1:54.47 world record over 200m freestyle set by Olympic champion Federica Pellegrini, of Italy, at Riccione last month, will, after all, count as a European record - after the European Swim League (LEN) responded to our earlier post by updating its European records list. However, four European records set by Russians will not count, after swimmers were let down by their federation.

The full list of long-course efforts that will not be ratified is as follows: 

• Yulia Efimova (RUS) - 100m breaststroke - 1:06.08 in Beijing 2008): record remains at 1:07.10 to Sarah Poewe (GER) from German Olympic trials, Berlin, April 2008
  
• Yuri Prilukov (RUS) - 1,500m free - 14:41.13 from the heats at the Olympic Games: record will stand as 14:43.21 set by same swimmer in the final in Beijing 2008 (the official Olympic result will forever have the letters ER next to that performance even though the time will never count as such)
  
• Russia - 4x200m freestyle - 7:03.70: record will stand to Italy at 7:07.84 (Cassio, Belotti, Brembilla, Rosolino - Beijing, 2008)
  
• Russia - 4x100m medley - 3:31.92 (Vyatchanin, Sludnov, Korotyshkin, Lagunov): the record remains at 3:34.25 (Vyatchanin, Falko, Korotyshkin, Grechin) from European Champs in Eindhoven, March 2008
  

In the monthly letter of the President of LEN, Nory Krutchen, he notes: "As we find ourselves in a period of qualifying competitions all over Europe for the coming FINA World Swimming Championships of this Summer, I would like to remind all Federations to pay as close attention as possible to the necessary procedure to follow in order to ratify European Records. Since the overblown volume of records of the past months has surprised us all the way it has, sadly the number of non-ratifiable ERs (mostly due to the lack of adequate follow-up of the required administrative procedure as per LEN Rules) has also grown. We regret to inform that more than a handful of ER times done since June of 2008 have not been able to be ratified."

There are some short-course standards that were never ratified, while some performances that have since been overtaken were also never ratified, altering the historic progression list of European records. And to work that one out ... will take a little longer.