You're reading: ​Ukraine allows seven Crimean athletes to compete for Russia

The Federation of Track and Field Athletics of Ukraine has officially given permission to seven Crimean athletes to represent Russia in international competitions. In return, Ukraine received $170,000 in compensation.

The former Ukrainian athletes include: ex-javelin champion of Europe, Vira Rebryk, and her colleague Rustem Dremdgy; Olexiy Sokyrsky (hammer throw); Valeria Mara (a runner); Ruslan Perestyuk (a sprinter); Yevhen Semenenko (a jumper); and Olena Belyakova (discus throw).

They have received Russian citizenship and asked shortly after the Kremlin’s annexation of Crimea in March 2014 to be able to represent Russia.“We calculated what the state spent on their athletic training. The compensation is, in fact, 50 percent of the sum Ukraine spent on them,” explained Olexandr Danylenko, spokesperson of the Federation of Track and Field Athletics of Ukraine to the Kyiv Post.

Some of that money will support the newly created Federation of Track and Field Athletics of Crimea.“We’ve recreated that organization for other Crimean athletes, who kept Ukrainian citizenship, left Crimea for the mainland and wanted to represent it in the Ukrainian championships,” Danylenko said.

According to him, there are still more than 2,000 athletes from the peninsula who want to compete for Ukraine.

More than seven Crimean athletes have changed citizenship to Russian.

Ukrainian pentathlete Hanna Buryak also became Russian in September 2014.

A month earlier Russian President Vladimir Putin gave a Russian passport to chess champion Kateryna Lagno from Lviv.

“It is a common situation, without regard to Crimea annexation. Athletes often change citizenship and teams. But in field athletics one can’t do it quickly, as in soccer for example. Before starting to compete for a new country an athlete needs to be banned from competition for three years. That means he is not allowed taking part in championships,” said Danylenko.

According to him, the ban period could be shortened only by the request of state organization. And the All-Russia Athletic Federation made such request to Ukraine in the beginning of 2015 but payed the indemnity only in August. The process of negotiation was temporized because at first Ukraine demanded $150,000 for Vira Rebryk only, and Russian side could not afford to pay such compensation for an athlete. But then Ukraine brought down the price.

All Ukrainian athletes who became Russian citizens and want to compete for Russia at the 2016 Olympics in Brazil still need to get special permission from the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine.

Kyiv Post writer Veronika Melkozerova can be reached at [email protected]