"Now it's SVO, then something else". Russian champion refuses to play for Russia and changes her citizenship

Kristina Silayeva, the current winner of the Russian Speed Skating Championships in the 500m, will compete for the Kazakh national team. According to the 23-year-old athlete, she no longer trains in Russia and made her decision to change her citizenship in early spring.

The International Skating Union (ISU) currently does not allow Russians to compete under its auspices.

"I'm just not ready to wait, the age of an athlete is short, it's not known when the next international competition will be, if I stay. You can't miss the peak of your career. My parents understand that the political situation is very difficult and since 2014 our flag has not appeared at the Winter Games. Now it's SVO, then there will be something else, so my parents were very understanding," Silayeva told Match TV.

The athlete sees nothing wrong with giving up her Russian passport, noting that she has "nothing to lose".

The President of the Russian Skaters Union Nikolai Gulyaev confirmed Kristina's move...

"The Russian Skaters Union received a statement from Silayeva asking for her dismissal from the national team," TASS quoted Gulyaev as saying.

The fans supported their compatriot's decision.

"Now your own, then something else," in simple words, in one sentence, about the past, present and future of this country. A young girl, and she has already understood everything, well done. And the fact that she ran away is doubly good," users write.

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