"I am full of joy": Poland gave Russian citizenship to participate in the 2026 Olympics (Photo)

From now on, if the Russian qualifications are qualified, he will take study in the Winter Olympic Games in 2026 in the Italian cities of Milan and Cortina-D'Ampecso. "I am full of joy, full of emotions, and it is difficult for me to express my gratitude. Now all the paths are open, and I can do everything I want, and I want to win the Olympic medal. Thanks to the Polish passport it is possible. Poland has accepted me as a child," the Russian skate commented.

He noted that the whole process of obtaining Polish citizenship has taken him less than two years, and now he will compete at the Olympiad 2026 for a gold medal. The Polish Snamer Sports Association said that 22-year-old Russian athlete Vladimir Semirunny was born in Yekaterinburg. At the age of 19, he became Russian champion at a distance of 10,000 meters, as well as the winner of the bronze medal at the World Cup among juniors and silver in all -around.

From the beginning of the full -scale invasion of the Russian Federation in Ukraine, Russians have been expelled from the competitions under the auspices of the International Union of Skating, so Semunny could not participate in major international sports events and decided to change sports citizenship. With the consent of the Polish authorities, the Russian skates began training in Poland.

He won gold at the Polish Championship in all -around in 2024, showing the fastest in the country's history at 10,000 meters. Volodymyr Semyrunny also already participated in international competitions under the Polish flag, in particular at the European Championships in Grerenven in the Netherlands (there he set the fastest in the history of Polish skating time at a distance distances).

However, the results of Semunny were not officially recognized as Polish records, because the skates did not have Polish citizenship, but only licenses for competitions for the colors of the Polish national team. In February, the media wrote that Russian and Belarusian athletes will be able to participate in the 2026 Olympic Games. Recall that Russian tennis player Danilo Medvedev at the US Open Tennis Championship 2025 (US Open-2025) argued with the referee and broke a racket.