Ukrainian Judoka Elizabeth Litvinenko Changes Citizenship to Represent UAE Amid Political Boycott
In the wake of recent developments in the sports world, the names of Ukrainian athletes are again in the spotlight due to citizenship changes and political decisions.
Prominent Ukrainian judoka Elizabeth Litvinenko, who has repeatedly demonstrated her high level of performance globally, has made a difficult choice — to change her citizenship and compete under the flag of the United Arab Emirates.
This phenomenon has become more evident against the backdrop of Ukraine’s boycott of international judo competitions, triggered by a series of decisions by the International Judo Federation (IJF) that caused discontent within the Ukrainian sporting community.
The Ukrainian Judo Federation decided not to send its team to the current World Championship after the IJF allowed participation of Belarusian and Russian athletes using their national symbols, which dealt a blow to Ukrainian athletes.
Elizabeth Litvinenko boasts not only victories in continental youth competitions but also significant achievements at the senior level: bronze at the 2022 World Championships and reaching the quarterfinals at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
She is one of several Ukrainian athletes seeking new opportunities for career growth and international exposure, avoiding political and organizational obstacles.
This is not the first case of Ukrainian judokas changing citizenship — earlier reports indicated that several promising athletes have started competing for other countries due to political circumstances and decisions by the international sports federation.