Russian champion swimmer explains change of sport citizenship

European swimming champion Ilya Sibirtsev explained why he changed his sports citizenship from Russian to Uzbek at the beginning of 2024. His words are quoted by Sovetsky Sport.

Sibirtsev shared that he began to think about changing the team when it became clear that Russian athletes would not be allowed to participate in the Olympic Games (OG) in Paris. “I began to understand that I myself might have such an opportunity [сменить гражданство] “To give myself and the sport a second chance, so that maybe I can still qualify for the 2024 Olympics,” he said.

The swimmer said that some people in Russia reacted negatively to his choice, but he received support from his loved ones. “Rather than sitting on the couch and watching the Olympics on TV, if you have the opportunity to go there, of course, it is better to use it,” the athlete concluded.

Sibirtsev is a silver and bronze medalist at the 2019 World Junior Championships, and won the European Championships that same year. In the fall of 2019, the Russian became a student at the University of Louisville in the United States. Sibirtsev missed the Tokyo Olympics.