Athletistic / Rhythmic gymnastics. Unfortunately, sport in the modern world is inseparable from politics. And when big political changes and events happen in the world, then global sports change. This is what happened a little over two years ago, when a special military operation (SVO) began.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC), appealing to the Olympic Truce and the Olympic Charter, itself violated its main principle and forever changed international sport, mixing politics into it in an incredibly high concentration. With the creation of the SVO, it would seem that problems should have arisen for Russian sport, but it suffered not only from the sanctions of the IOC and subsequent decisions of international federations. There are victims even in the most polar countries of Russia. One of the most famous examples is Elizaveta Polstyanaya.

Polstyanaya was born in Jurmala (Latvia) into a family of Russian origin. At the age of five, the young girl began to learn the basics of sport by learning synchronized swimming. Lisa’s mother, who was a professional gymnast herself and knew the problems and difficulties associated with this sport, refused to send Lisa to rhythmic gymnastics. However, fate decreed otherwise, and two years later Elizabeth followed in her mother’s footsteps.

Lisa fell in love with rhythmic gymnastics thanks to Evgenia Kanaeva. In the late 2000s and early 10s of the 21st century, it was the Russian woman who dominated world gymnastics and ultimately became one of the greatest (if not the greatest) representatives of this sport. Polstyanaya constantly watched Kanaeva’s performances on TV, which indirectly influenced her mother’s decision to give in to her daughter and take her to the rhythmic gymnastics section.

Photo source: OKR

It is important to note that by this time the Poltyany family had moved to Russia and settled in Moscow. This is where Lisa took her first steps in her favorite sport. At first, sport was more of a hobby for the young girl. However, it quickly turned into something more. At the age of 13, Polstyanaya performed at the Baltic Hoop tournament, where she attracted the attention of several countries. At that time, the girl was not part of the avant-garde of Russian gymnastics and was far from joining the national team. Therefore, she and her parents did not immediately reject proposals to change their sports citizenship and took time to think about it. As a result, Elizabeth nevertheless agreed to one of them – she succumbed to the persuasion of her native Latvia.

In 2018, Polstyanaya received a Latvian passport, which allowed her to perform internationally for that country. A few months later, Lisa made her debut at the Junior World Championships, and in 2019 she moved up to the adult level.

Latvia was not among the world’s elite in rhythmic gymnastics, but with the arrival of Polstyanaya, this team had a chance for a bright future. But the Baltic country’s authorities didn’t care. State support was practically nil. This is largely why Elizaveta continued to live and train in Russia.

During her first World Championships, organized in 2019 in Baku (Azerbaijan), Polstyanaya took 32nd place in the all-around competition, failing to qualify for the final. However, for a 16-year-old beginner, this result was completely normal and allowed us to hope for more in the near future. In 2021, at the Challenge Cup in Moscow, Polstyanaya will reach the podium for the first time in the hoop exercise, becoming third.

Photo source: FIG

The best period of his career was the 2022 season. However, due to circumstances beyond his control, he became Polstyanaya’s last. And this is where the politicization of sport is at issue.

In the spring of 2022, against the backdrop of developments in the world, the Latvian authorities demanded that Elizabeth move to Latvia. It is important to note that by this time modern training complexes had appeared in the Baltic country, so Polstyanaya, unable to obtain a reprieve, therefore agreed to these conditions. That’s just why she had to stop working with her long-time coach…

This decision did not become a heavy burden for Polstyanaya and she performed excellently at the European Championships, winning the maximum quota for the World Championships for the Latvian national team. In the same season, she managed to twice win prizes at the World Cup stages (silver and bronze) and firmly enter the elite of world gymnastics. It is clear that the withdrawal of the national teams of Russia and Belarus, among other things, helped her in this matter, but the successes of Polstyanaya herself cannot be underestimated.

This summer, before preparations for the 2022 World Cup began, Lisa went on vacation to Russia, where her parents live. This is where the real circus began.

Photo source: social networks of Elizaveta Polstyanaya

The Latvian sports authorities did not give up and continued to shoot themselves in the foot. In July, they presented Polstyanaya with a difficult choice: either she refuses her Russian passport or she does not participate in the next World Championships. In fact, they put Polstyanaya’s career on the line, thinking that the cornered girl would make the choice they so desired. However, Elizabeth turned out to be not a shy person and refused to throw away her Russian passport. As a result, in Latvia she was deprived of funding and was encouraged to use her own money to buy tickets for the World Cup, pay for accommodation, coaches’ work, competition fees and also buy equipment . Elizabeth simply had no choice. She ended her sporting career at the age of 20.

— Is it possible to put a person before a choice: family or sport? That’s how I was raised, so I just couldn’t do it any other way.said Polstyanaya in an interview with RIA Novosti Sport.

Having retained her dual citizenship, Elizaveta again moved to Russia and took up the coaching profession. She now teaches children at the Spartak sports complex and is preparing to open her own school. Polstyanaya does not get discouraged and tries to achieve great sporting success as a coach.

Without her dirty politics, Elizaveta Polstyanaya could have realized her dream and participated in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. Sadly, she was unjustly deprived of this right. However, the girl showed that there are things in life that are much more important than even the most favorite activity – family, loved ones, honor and dignity.

Nikita Serbakov, Athletistic



Athletistic