Photo: EPA
The Ukrainian national diving team has commented on European champion Sofiia Lyskun’s decision to leave Ukraine for Russia and change her sporting citizenship.
Team leader Oleksii Sereda said he had never noticed any signs that she might defect.
“She always spoke Russian. But you know, she never pushed any narratives within the team — she didn’t say that Russia was great. I never saw that from her. We just trained, and she spoke Russian. There were no signs that she would suddenly turn around and go compete for Russia.
All of us — the coaching staff and athletes — were shocked by what she did, by the fact that she essentially betrayed us. This country gave her so much, the coaches gave her so much.”
Head coach Illia Tseliutin also said he was stunned by Lyskun’s actions:
“Why did her pro-Ukrainian stance collapse? We didn’t notice anything. We constantly travel to competitions, and she was always performing in our kit. She won medals this May, so we see no reason for such actions. If we had seen any warning signs, we could at least have reacted.
We condemn what she has done. We will push for her to be removed from all team lists as quickly as possible, taken off the roster and stripped of all titles — the maximum sanctions available. This is unacceptable in our country.
I am from Rubizhne myself. I had to evacuate my parents during Russia’s invasion; my city, where my parents and I were born, was completely destroyed. This is unacceptable, and seeing something like this is a huge shock for me,” he told Suspilne Sport.
Sofiia Lyskun began her professional career in 2017 and competed for Ukraine at two Olympic Games. In 2022 she became world vice-champion and has won 11 European Championship medals, including four golds. Her most recent European title for Ukraine came in the mixed event in May this year.
