FINA today published a full list of candidates for elections for key roles, including the President, vice-president positions and Bureau members, at the Congress, due to take place in Budapest on July 22. 

Earlier this month, insidethegames revealed Barelli had accused the world governing body's leadership of "totally disregarding" Europe and of allowing "outrageous conflicts of interest" in a strongly worded three-page letter distributed European Federations.

Now in a separate letter, addressed to "National Federations Presidents, FINA Family Members and Friends", the Italian spoke about his reasons for standing against the man who has been FINA President since 2009.

"I supported his candidacy to the FINA President in 2009 when, as candidate, he was telling the world he would stay for only one four-year mandate," Barelli wrote.

"This, he claimed at the time, was done in order for him to improve the governance of FINA.

"Today, at the commendable age of 82 (sic), he is putting forward his candidacy to the FINA Presidency for a third mandate, seeking to remain at the helm of FINA for a total of 12 years and up to the age of 86.

"Considering that the IOC has also decided that 80 is the age limit to hold an effective role, I am certain that there must be a logical rationale behind it.

"I believe that this same rule should also apply within International Federations and, therefore, also within FINA.

"At present, he appears to be unable or unwilling to solve the emerging problems and handle the clashes.

"I feel it would now be appropriate for Julio Maglione to take on an Honorary role, enabling FINA to successfully overcome the challenges that lie ahead of us."

Barelli has claimed there is a lack of support to emerging Federations, as well as for national teams attending World Championships and helping them to achieve and promote local activities.

He also argued there has been a lack of a clear plan to introduce, enforce and maintain good governance and transparency within FINA, alleging they have failed to tackle conflicts of interest and political interference.

Barelli repeated his call for age limit to exist for FINA candidates and claimed there was a “lack of separation of the political power from the judicial power”.

Barelli, head of both the European Swimming Federation (LEN) and the Italian Swimming Federation, is Maglione’s sole rival for the Presidency.

He is currently also serving as the honorary secretary of FINA.

It was decided in 2015, however, this position will be scrapped after this year's elections.

This is one of many grievances raised by Barelli in his letter.

Barelli has already taken FINA to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) over a number of issues.

The 62-year-old Senator from Rome, who represented Italy in the Olympics at Munich 1972 and Montreal 1976, listed a number of issues in his letter.

These include LEN's position within FINA and leadership at the world governing body, along with governance and the competition programme.

Barelli claimed the decision to abolish the honorary secretary was "sneaky".

He was also critical of the increase of representatives from Africa and Asia on the FINA Bureau.

insidethegames was told earlier this month that Africa, the Americas, Asia and Oceania all plan to back 81-year-old Maglione in the election.

Maglione was permitted to run for a third term after a FINA decision in 2015 to abolish a statute requirement for all members of its ruling Bureau to be under 80.

Barelli is also the sole contender for the position of European FINA vice-president, a back-up plan should he fail to defeat Maglione.

Kuwait's Husain Al-Musallam, currently implicated in an Olympic Council of Asia Ethics Commission probe after being identified as a co-conspirator in a United States Department of Justice bribery case connected to their investigation into FIFA, is the sole contender for the position of first vice-president.

He is also the only candidate for Asian vice-president.

Al-Musallam has denied all wrongdoing but FINA have promised they will "monitor the situation" and "take all measures deemed necessary".

South Africa's Sam Ramsamy is the African candidate and is also standing unopposed for second vice-president.

United States' Dale Neuberger is also standing for vice-president, along with Fiji's Dennis Miller.

Greece’s Dimitris Diathesopoulos and Hungary’s Tamas Gyarfas will seek to be re-elected as FINA Bureau members from Eurpoe.

Gyarfas is currently a FINA vice-president but will not seek to renew that status.

LEN have proposed Royal Spanish Swimming Federation President Fernando Carpena and Christa Thiel, President of the German Swimming Federation President for 16 years until she stepped down in 2016, for membership of the FINA Bureau.

David Sparkes has also been nominated by LEN and stepped down as British Swimming chief executive to be able to take up the role.

He was replaced at British Swimming by Jack Buckner yesterday.

Both Erik van Heijningen and Russian Swimming Federation President Vladimir Salnikov are standing for re-election to the FINA Bureau, despite failing to be nominated by LEN.

Last year, van Heijningen unsuccessfully challenged Barelli for President of LEN. 

Antonio Jose Silva of Portugal is the final candidate for a European position.

Asian Swimming Federation-backed Zhou Jilong of China and Taha Al-Kishry of Oman are set to be challenged for two Asian FINA Bureau positions by Iran's Mohsen Rezvani, Kazakhstan’s Andrey Kryukov and Japan’s Daichi Suzuki.

Thailand's Pipat Paniangvait is the only candidate for honorary treasurer, a position he already holds.

Senegal’s Mohamed Diop and Uganda’s Donald Rukare will face the challenge of Angola’s Mario Fernandes, Morocco’s Zouheir El Moufti and Mauritius’ Doreen Tiborcz for African positions on the FINA Bureau.

Canada’s Margo Mountjoy, Bahamas’ Algernon Cargill, Babados’ Errol Clarke and Paraguay’s Juan Carlos Orihuela Garcete are Americas candidates.

Australia’s five-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist Matthew Dunn is poised to be re-elected as a member from Oceania.