A Russian cyclist has changed his nationality to French, saying he is totally against his country’s invasion of Ukraine.
Pavel Sivakov, who is a member of pro-cycling team Ineos Grenadiers, applied to switch his nationality after Russia launched its attack.
According to BBC Sport, the 24-year-old has had his request approved by the global governing body for cycling, Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), and he’ll now compete under the French flag.
The athlete didn’t just pull the nationality out of a hat – Sivakov was born in Italy to Russian parents, but moved to France when he was young.
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He said, ‘I was born in Italy and moved to France when I was one year old. France is where I grew up and was educated and where I fell in love with riding my bike which led me to racing. It feels like my home.’
Sivakov explained that he ‘wanted to become a French national for some time’ and had even made the request to the UCI, but 'given what is happening in the Ukraine at the moment' he chose to fast-track the process.
Speaking about the acceptance of his application, the cyclist said, 'I want to thank the UCI and the team at INEOS Grenadiers for supporting me with this process and helping make this a reality.
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'To now have the opportunity to race as a French national in international events makes me incredibly happy.
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'It would be a dream to race in Paris at the 2024 Olympics for France and this is something that the team have said they would fully support.
'As I have previously said, I am totally against this war and all my thoughts are with the Ukrainian people.
'Like most people around the world right now, I hope for peace and a swift end to the suffering happening in the Ukraine.'
Ever since the invasion started last week, February 24, Sivakov has been outspoken about his condemnation of Russia’s actions.
Taking to Twitter, he wrote, 'It's been a difficult few days seeing what's currently happening.
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'First of all I just want to say that I'm totally against the war and can't get around what's going on in Ukraine.
'I also want people to understand that most of the Russians only want peace and never asked for all of this to happen.'
If you would like to donate to the Red Cross Emergency Appeal, which will help provide food, medicines and basic medical supplies, shelter and water to those in Ukraine, click here for more information
Topics: Sport, Russia, Ukraine, World News
