The change of citizenship by Russian athletes has recently begun to take shape disappointing trend. Moreover, the names of the defectors are becoming more and more loud. If earlier this could be taken calmly, now our sport is really under threat.
Lost talent in volleyballThe day before it became known that a talented and promising volleyball player Ekaterina Antropova, who in 2017 was a member of the extended U16 team, received an Italian passport.
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«The Council of Ministers, at the suggestion of the Minister of the Interior Matteo Piantedosi, decided to grant Italian citizenship to Ekaterina Antropova,» the message says.
The passport was given «for special merits.» This proposal was made by the President of the National Olympic Committee of Italy, Giovanni Malago. The «excellent sports results achieved in the discipline» helped.
It must be admitted that Russia has really lost a potential world volleyball star. Antropova chose between our country and Italy for a long time, but she nevertheless decided to give preference to Europe.
It is easy to guess the reasons. The young athlete wants to play in international competitions. Soon she will have a chance to compete at the European Championships, and then, perhaps, at the Olympic Games.
Departure of the famous figure skater Another powerful loss could be the figure skater Sofia Samodelkina. The silver medalist of the Russian championship among juniors in 2022 is going to change sports citizenship and play for Kazakhstan. Last season, Samodelkina, who trains at CSKA under the guidance of Svetlana Sokolovskaya, won the Russian Grand Prix in Samara, ahead of Olympic silver medalist Alexandra Trusova, and came second at the Sochi stage. She also won the Russian Cup Final among juniors in 2020.
News about the volleyball player Antropova and figure skater Samodelkin appeared within a day. Russian sports are faced with the problem of outflow of personnel, now it is impossible to ignore. Almost every day there is information that this or that athlete is considering changing sports citizenship.
Fortunately, not all rumors are confirmed. For example, two rising tennis stars — Mirra Andreva and Alina Korneeva — said they were not going to change Russia to another country. And these are potentially top-level athletes. Perhaps a loyal attitude towards our guys plays a role here. Tennis players are allowed to compete in most tournaments.
What does Isinbayeva have to do with it? In many other sports, the situation is much more complicated, which forces the Russians to consider various options. And some do it painfully obsessively. Swimmer Anastasia Kirpichnikova, after receiving French citizenship, called the country a real home and did not experience any disappointment when she left Russia.
Let alone Yelena Isinbayeva, who, although she has not been an active athlete for a long time, remains a legend. The scandal with the escape to the Canary Islands and the «nominal» rank of army major was remembered even by those who have never been interested in sports.
Many of our athletes objectively face the question of an important choice — to run or stay. The longer there is uncertainty with the return to world sport, there will be more people of the first category. And that's okay, that's human nature. Another thing is that the leadership of Russian sports should no longer just think about how to keep people in the country, but also take real action. A fine for changing your passport may be the first step.
The opinion of the author may not coincide with the position of the editors.