Three Russian fencers who fled to the United States applied for American citizenship in order to compete for the country's national team at the Olympics

Fencers Sergei and Violetta Bida, who were put on the wanted list in Russia, as well as epee fencer Konstantin Lokhanov, decided to obtain US citizenship. Two of them plan to compete for the American team at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. this . reports The American newspaper USA Today

The publication claims that letters in support of the Russians were written by the US Olympic and Paralympic Committees, as well as the country's Fencing Association (USA Fencing).

“All three made sacrifices at great personal cost and put their lives at risk to be able to represent our nation. We ask that you make every effort to support them during this emergency,” USA Fencing CEO Phil Andrews wrote in a letter to Congress.

The fencers are represented by New York lawyer Jack Wiener. According to him, in order for athletes to become American citizens for the Olympic Games, which begin on July 26, the Senate and House of Representatives will have to pass a bill. After this, the document must be signed by US President Joe Biden. Wiener also said that the law firm Covington & Burling has already addressed this issue to congressmen.

In a conversation with USA Today, the Bidas said that, on the advice of a lawyer, they would not discuss the war in Ukraine or the policies of the Russian authorities. Violetta Bida said that she does not plan to participate in the next Olympics due to pregnancy.

At the end of December, Sergei and Violetta were put on the wanted list. At that time it was not reported under which particular article. Presumably, a criminal case was opened against them for unauthorized leaving their unit or place of service. At the time of his departure, Sergei was a member of the Dynamo club and was formally listed as an employee of the Russian Guard. Violetta played for CSKA and was an employee of the Ministry of Defense.

In turn, Konstantin Lokhanov, who was previously married to the daughter of the head of the Russian Olympic Committee, Sofia Pozdnyakova, condemned Russian aggression in a conversation with reporters. He left for Germany the day before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and then moved to the United States. “They started a war, kill people and think that this is normal,” Lokhanov said. All three athletes in the United States are now involved in coaching.

The Russian Fencing Federation reported that it had not received any requests for athletes to join the US team. And the head of the Olympic Committee, Stanislav Pozdnyakov, said that the change of citizenship by Russian fencers would not be a big loss. “Frightened lovers of yellow scooters and frappes... Well, they left and left. Today we learned from the media that they were offered some cookies. The main thing is that they don’t choke,” he said .

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