Strange affair. Russian figure skater Maria Talalaikina (photo above), 20 years old, several times medalist at the Russian Cup, has just confided to the agency RIA Novosti having had to give up for political reasons his wish to change nationality and compete for Italy. The young skater spent the whole of last year in Italy. Last December, she got the green light from the Russian Figure Skating Federation to change her nationality. But due to the war in Ukraine, the Italian authorities finally decided to refuse him a residence permit, a mandatory prerequisite for obtaining a new passport. “ Due to the political situation, the Italian government did not issue me a residence permit. Without this document, I could not represent this country in international competitions. And I couldn't continue to reside in Italy either, she explained to RIA Novosti after his forced return to Russia. I spent almost a year in sports “quarantine” in Italy so that I could participate in international competitions in the future. This period was difficult for me. I thought about quitting, but then I realized I couldn't live without figure skating. So, I decided to come back. » The Russian Skating Federation revealed last month that it had received 19 requests from skaters wishing to change their sporting nationality since the start of the year.
