"Many people said that Azerbaijan? What will you do there? When I started getting success, those people came and told me that I made the right choice. At that time, only my relatives supported me."
Idman.biz informs that Anna Bashta, the leader of the Azerbaijan national fencing team, said this while answering questions about Azerbaijan in an interview with the Russian press.
She emphasized that she faced constant criticism while changing her sports citizenship: "They called me a traitor, but they didn't say it right to my face." On the way back from the Olympics, the press asked me to make a statement about my performance. Although my interview was well received, I was criticized in the comments: "You moved to Azerbaijan, what's the point of that", "Money is spent on her in vain...". These shocked me, I was very angry. The authors were citizens of both Russia and Azerbaijan. Even I got angry, I thought that I am doing my job: I am glorifying Azerbaijan. After that, I don't read any comments."
Idman.biz
