Ukrainian Olympian applies for citizenship change.

Ukrainian gymnast Ilya Kovtun has submitted documents to obtain Croatian citizenship after three years of training in the city of Osijek. His coach, Irina Horbachova, has also applied for Croatian citizenship, and their applications have been supported by the Croatian Gymnastics Federation.

In the initial period of their stay in Osijek, the gymnasts were offered to train there for two months, but Kovtun and Horbachova decided to stay for three years. They learned the Croatian language and deepened their communication with the local sports community.

After three years of living with us, training, sleeping, eating, and everything we provided, it seems logical that they decided to go this direction, especially since there are no prospects in Ukraine. There are turbulent things happening in their union, they accuse each other of official crimes, there is a lot of bad energy, so Ilya and Irina have definitely drawn a line and, together with us, decided to look for citizenship. As a first step, we presented this to our Association, and the Executive Committee unanimously accepted the request, believing that Kovtun would be a good addition to our team. Despite the fantastic results of our guys, our reserve bench is not too long, so Ilya's arrival will not take anything away from anyone. On the contrary, he will complement our story since he is a versatile athlete and can be found in all disciplines.

Kovtun and Horbachova are considering the possibility of continuing to compete for the Croatian national team without returning to Ukraine after the Olympics. They have already been preparing for competitions in Croatia throughout 2024.

Ilya Kovtun has already won a silver medal at the Paris Olympics on the parallel bars and also placed fourth twice. His performances were accompanied by statements from former gymnast Lilia Podkopaeva, who claimed that the Ukrainian had been condemned. Kovtun is also a holder of medals in all-around championships and represented Ukraine at the Tokyo 2021 Olympics.