Tennis player Oleg Prykhodko has renounced his Ukrainian citizenship
Ukrainian tennis player Oleg Prykhodko will continue to compete under the flag of North Macedonia in international tournaments.
This was reported by BTU.
The 28-year-old athlete is currently ranked 399th in the ATP rankings. His decision to change his sporting representation has become the subject of widespread discussion in the tennis community.
Prykhodko is also known for his stance on collaborating with Russian athletes following the start of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine. In particular, he competed in doubles matches alongside Russian Yan Bondarevsky, which sparked public outcry.
In 2023, the tennis player explained his position, emphasizing his personal relationships with athletes from Russia and Belarus and denying the significance of nationality in sports.
“I played doubles with a Russian because he is my friend. And I played doubles specifically with my friend—nationality doesn’t matter to me. In my view, a person should be judged by their actions, not by their nationality…,” said Oleg Prykhodko.
He also stated that he had received recommendations from the Ukrainian Tennis Federation to refrain from such matches, but decided to act on his own discretion.
Currently, the decision to change his sporting citizenship effectively ends his appearances under the Ukrainian flag at the international level.
Earlier, the Russian Cycling Federation announced that 21-year-old athlete Roman Yermakov had changed his sporting citizenship.
