Kovtun, who may change citizenship, deleted the post about holding the sports front with dignity.

Ukrainian gymnast Ilya Kovtun, who became the silver medalist of the Olympics in Paris, is considering the possibility of changing his citizenship and deleted his patriotic post on the social network Instagram. He stated that he would represent Ukraine with dignity through sports and his achievements, but this post has already been removed.

The 21-year-old gymnast, along with his coach Irina Gorbatcheva, is considering the possibility of continuing to compete for the Croatian national team. The final decision will be made by the end of the year. It is worth noting that Kovtun and Gorbatcheva had been preparing for competitions in Croatia throughout 2024, and after the Olympics, the gymnast did not return to Ukraine.

Ilya Kovtun already has significant achievements in gymnastics. He won a silver medal in parallel bars at the Olympics in Paris. In addition, he finished fourth in the all-around final and had the opportunity to compete for a medal in the floor exercise. Kovtun is also the holder of bronze and silver medals at the World Championships in all-around.

The gymnast previously represented Ukraine at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.