Donetsk, Aug 11 – DAN. An Olympic bonze-winner high-jumper, citizen of Ukraine Yaroslava Mahuchikh could change her citizenship and move to Russia in response to the bullying she has been subjected to after embracing her Russian rival for a photograph, said a DPR MP Vladimir Chekun.
Mahuchikh won bronze in Tokyo on August 7, while Russian national Maria Lasitskene won the gold medal. Both winners embraced to congratulate each other and posed for a photo together. Ukrainian politicians were quick to pour scorn on Mahuchikh saying that she "insulted Ukrainian military fighting in Donbass".
"Ukrainian authorities have long forgotten what the Olympic principles are, what the sportmen aim at, what do the Games themselves mean for the international community," Chekun said.
"You see, neither Russia nor the DPR reacted with reproach, We all understand that sport has nothing to do with politics, and this is an intangible ideal these days."
"I can only advise Yaroslava Mahuchikh to change citizenship and to perform under the Russian flag in future. As the Russian president Vladimir Putin wrote in his article, "Russians and Ukrainian are one people". We do understand it, they do not, unfortunately."
The 2020 Summer Olympics were held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. Originally scheduled to take place from 24 July to 9 August 2020, the event was postponed to 2021 in March 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. *ot