European diving champion changed her nationality from Ukraine to Russia: reaction of the national team

According to glavcom.ua: Ukrainian sports received an unexpected blow: European diving champion Sofia Lyskyn announced that she changed her citizenship to Russian. This news was announced by the portal «Izvestia».

The young athlete from Luhansk explained that she made such a decision due to psychological difficulties during training in Poland and the support she felt from coaches who moved to Moscow.

Lyskyn's explanation

The athlete herself stated that she did not care which country to compete for and spoke about psychological pressure and conflicts with the management. As a result, the Ukrainian Diving Federation excluded her from the national team.

Reaction from Ukraine

The Minister of Sports and the Ukrainian Federation condemned Lyskyn’s actions, considering them a discredit to Ukrainian sports values. It is also planned to demand sanctions from international sports organizations.

Athletes' reaction

Other Ukrainian athletes, including the leader of the skeleton national team, expressed outrage and confusion over Lyskyn's actions. They believe this is a betrayal for Ukraine and the world of sports in general.

This unexpected change of citizenship by the athlete has caused outrage in the Ukrainian sports community and has also sparked a discussion about the principles and values that underpin representing one’s country in international competitions.