The speed skating champion wanted to be close to his partner.
Sofia Prosvirnova will represent Denmark in the future. EPA/AOP
Russian speed skater Sofia Prosvirnova says in an interview with Sports Ekpress magazine that he will change to Danish citizenship. In the future, he intends to represent the Danish national team.
Prosvirnova’s decision was influenced more than the international suspension of Russian sports by the fact that she will be able to continue her career with her Danish husband Viktor Thorupin alongside.
– The past two or three seasons have been difficult for me psychologically, also because of covid. We had a lot of camps in training centers that we almost never left, so I didn’t see my family or Viktor. We only met at the Olympics, Prosvirnova refers to last year’s Beijing Games in February.
The five-time European champion says he has long considered options that would allow him to retain his Russian nationality, but the rules prevented him from training abroad. Thus, he had to choose between competing for Russia or being separated from his beloved for almost a whole year.
Social harassment
Prosvirnova, 25, says that she has received rude feedback from her chosen team.
– I don’t feel like a traitor. There are always unhappy people, but when I made this decision, I realized that I can’t make everyone happy. I understand their opinion too, he says.
He advises those considering the same decision to add up the pluses and minuses that would result from renouncing citizenship.
– However, I have a unique situation. All season I’ve been hoping we’d find another way out of this. Unfortunately, there was none.