Russian athlete, world champion in the 110 meter hurdles Sergei Shubenkov in an interview with , he said that he was not going to change sports citizenship even under the current conditions in which Russian sports found themselves.
The All-Russian Athletics Federation (VFLA) has approved the transition of the five-time Russian champion to the marathon Sardana Trofimova to the national team of Kyrgyzstan. Trofimova plans to compete for Kyrgyzstan at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
– Sergey, what is your position on the change of citizenship for the pleasure of playing on the international scene?
– Many feared that after the mass suspension of Russian athletes, the people would come forward to change sports citizenship. But people did not run, these are only isolated cases that can be counted on the fingers of two hands. And half of them are due to family circumstances. I think people are aware, so they don’t go en masse to other countries. Maybe they don’t move, because even here it’s not bad even in such isolated conditions.
Moreover, moving to another country, changing even sporting citizenship is not the easiest story, which has many nuances. This is a last resort for any athlete.
– Have you thought about changing sports citizenship?
– There were such thoughts at a time when the suspension of Russian athletes dragged on and lasted for several years. But I just thought things weren’t going beyond the thoughts and couldn’t go. In my case, everything suits me in Russia. It’s not such a simple story that you passed down on paper, and everything in your life remains the same. In my case it wouldn’t work, I’m not shaking anywhere.
– That is to say that you are not going to change sports citizenship?
– Not. Even in the current conditions of Russian sports and athletics, Shubenkov told .
Source : MatchTV
