Just days after
expressing his concern about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and urging people not
to direct hate at Russian people, Pavel Sivakov has ditched his Russian
nationality.
While he has always ridden for Russia, the home of his parents, Sivakov was born in Italy and grew up in France. He will now ride under French nationality. He claims he was going to switch anyway; that the process was underway and has just been accelerated.
The change of nationality
from Russian to France was granted by the UCI on Tuesday and has now been
confirmed by his Ineos Grenadiers team. The team said Sivakov would immediately
qualify to compete for France at events like the World Championships and
Olympics.
It also means he sidesteps sanctions that are being introduced against Russia by the international community. Already in cycling, Russian and Belarusian teams and events have had their UCI status withdrawn.
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The Dutch cycling
federation has also banned any Russian or Belarusian riders from racing in
their country. Teams from both countries will not be allowed to represent their
nations at any events featuring national teams and those sanctions are likely
to harden as the Russian attack in Ukraine continues.
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The speed of
Sivakov ditching his Russian nationality is perhaps a surprise, though he has
now said France feels more “like my home”.
“I was born in Italy and moved to France when I was one year old,” he said in a statement issued by Ineos Grenadiers. “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.
“I have wanted to become a French national for some time and had made the request to the UCI, but given what is happening in the Ukraine at the moment, I wanted to fast track this. I want to thank the UCI and the team at Ineos Grenadiers for supporting me with this process and helping make this a reality.
"To now have the opportunity to race as a French national in international events makes me incredibly happy. 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.”
