Russian athletes choose to represent Kazakhstan in international tournaments

Ten Russian athletes have been naturalized in Kazakhstan since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Because of the war, they couldn’t take part in international competitions as Russian citizens.

What happened?

«After analyzing news about the change of nationality, open data about athletes in international tournaments and open registers of sports federations, we counted 204 Russian athletes who have changed or are about to change their nationality,» the Kholod outlet reported.

In terms of «hospitality» for Russian athletes Kazakhstan is ranked sixth. Currently, ten former Russian citizens represent this country on the global sporting stage.

In 2022, Vice-President of the Kazakhstan Tennis Federation Yuri Polsky said that 30 players from Russia want to obtain Kazakh citizenship.

«These are children aged 12 and above. There are also adult professionals, who want to represent Kazakhstan. However, this option is not for everyone because if you have played for a national team at Davis Cup or Billie Jean King Cup, there is no way you can play for another country. This is prohibited by the ITF rules,» Polsky said at the time.

Which athletes have already changed their nationality or are planning to do so:

– Alexandra Skorokhodova, a professional downhill skier obtained Kazakhstani citizenship in 2022. The 16-year-old girl was the absolute champion of Russia in her age category. She has won many international tournaments and is one of the most promising athletes in alpine skiing.

– Kristina Silaeva (23 years old) and Elizaveta Golubeva (26 years old), professional ice skaters also renounced Russian citizenship.

– Alexander Shevchenko, a 22-year-old tennis player has applied for a change of citizenship. He is ranked 97th in the global tennis ranking.

– Damir Ismagulov, a UFC fighter, announced his intention to obtain Kazakhstan nationality. He is an ethnic Kazakh born in the Orenburg region of Russia. He already has a residence permit in Kazakhstan.

– Alexander Zuev, a football player, obtained Kazakhstan citizenship in June. He immediately joined the national team of Kazakhstan. After obtaining citizenship, he stated that he was very glad to be a citizen of the country where he was born.

– Dmitry Gurkov, a hockey player, renounced Russian citizenship to get a Kazakhstani passport.

– Elena Rybakina, the top-rated tennis player in Kazakhstan, renounced Russian citizenship in 2018. As she noted, she was very welcomed in Kazakhstan and has received everything she needs for training.

The context. Russia unleashed a full-scale war against Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Given that Western countries imposed a range of sanctions on Russia, Russian athletes can’t participate in many international competitions.