Two hundred Russian athletes change their sports citizenship and play for other countries - Russian media. INFOGRAPHICS
Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation into Ukraine, more than two hundred athletes began to compete for other countries in order to be allowed to compete and not destroy their careers.
The Russian publication Holod writes about this, Censor.NET informs.
In 2022-2023, 204 athletes stopped or plan to stop playing under the tricolor. The chess team of the aggressor country suffered the most losses - 141 grandmasters took other sports citizenship.
Figure skating and equestrian sports (11 athletes each), rhythmic gymnastics, and tennis (5 each) were also affected due to the outflow of Russian athletes. In addition, four football players and car drivers will perform under other flags.
Losses include boxing, cycling, rowing, sailing, ice skating, motor racing, swimming, hockey, and other sports.
Israel became the most popular destination for fugitives, with 25 Russian athletes defecting to the colors of this country. This is followed by Serbia (19 athletes), Germany (13), France (12) and Poland (11). Two athletes will even compete in the Ukrainian national team.
As a reminder, representatives of the Russian Federation and Belarus began to return to the competition in the spring. At the end of March, the IOC Executive Committee called for the admission of these athletes to international tournaments in the status of neutrals. Among the requirements for participation is the absence of ties to the army or special services of both countries.
