Olympic silver medalist Ilya Kovtun explained why he changed his athletic citizenship
Ilya Kovtun, the silver medalist in artistic gymnastics at the 2024 Olympic Games, explained in detail for the first time why he decided to leave Ukraine and compete for Croatia. According to the athlete, this was the hardest decision of his life, but he considered it necessary to continue his professional career.
The 22-year-old native of Cherkasy noted that the turning point came when he realized the need to train in safe conditions.
“The hardest part for me was when we realized that if I wanted to advance my athletic career, I would have to leave war-torn Ukraine and find a more peaceful and safe environment for living and training. It was a major life decision,” Kovtun said.
According to him, a professional gymnast’s career is short, so he sought to make the most of every opportunity to achieve top results.
Ilya Kovtun acknowledged that he understood the potential negative reaction from Ukrainian fans, but he prioritized his professional development.
“When I look back, I want to be proud of myself as a person who, as an athlete, did everything possible to achieve the best results in the sport I love and have chosen as my path,” he emphasized.
The athlete also said that he learned about the outbreak of full-scale war in February 2022 while he was outside Ukraine. According to him, his older sister currently lives in Poland, where she works as a gymnastics coach.
In the summer of 2025, Ilya Kovtun received Croatian citizenship. The athlete had previously stated that his decision was influenced by more than just the war.
He also said that, in his opinion, people in Ukraine did not celebrate his Olympic medal enough, whereas in Croatia he felt much greater support.
“When I won an Olympic medal, I felt that people here were happier about it than in Ukraine,” the gymnast noted earlier.
Following these statements, the athlete’s decision to change his sporting citizenship sparked widespread debate and criticism among some segments of Ukrainian society.
The gymnast spoke about this in an interview with the Croatian newspaper Vecernji List.
Ilya Kovtun explained why he decided to change his citizenship.
As a reminder, Ukrainian athlete Ilya Kovtun won a artistic gymnastics tournament held in the Swiss city of Balerna.
Earlier, Ilya Kovtun, a silver medalist at the 2024 Olympic Games, commented for the first time on Ukrainians’ reaction to his decision to stop competing for the Ukrainian national team and change his citizenship. He moved to Croatia with his coach at the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
