As recently as this spring, she wanted to obtain a Polish passport and win an Olympic medal for Poland. On September 3, she represented that country at the European Championships. Less than a month later, she was entered for Azerbaijan at the World Judo Championships in Baku.
İdman.Biz takes a closer look at who Hanna Zaytseva is and how one of the brightest talents in Polish junior judo ended up in the Azerbaijani national team.
The inclusion of 19-year-old Hanna Zaytseva in Azerbaijan's women's national team has become one of the most unexpected details of the host nation's roster for the World Championships. In the 63 kg category, the International Judo Federation (IJF) already lists her under the Azerbaijani flag.
And this is not an unknown athlete recruited simply as a prospect for the future. Until very recently, Zaytseva was regarded in Poland as one of the most promising judokas of her generation.
From Ukraine to Poland
Zaytseva was born in Sloviansk, Ukraine. Following the outbreak of the war in 2022, she was forced to leave her hometown at the age of 14. She continued training in Poland and joined Akademia Judo Poznań.
At that stage, however, she was still representing Ukraine. In 2022, she won the Cadet European Cup in Gyor and finished second at another Cadet European Cup event in Riga.
Zaytseva subsequently began competing internationally under the Polish flag. Her biggest achievement at cadet level came at the 2024 World Championships in Lima, where she won silver in the 63 kg category.
In 2026, she won the Junior European Cup in Poznan. As of September 7, she also led the Polish Judo Federation's national junior ranking in the 63 kg division with 336 points. Her nearest rival had just 139.
The way Zaytseva was viewed in Poland is perhaps best illustrated by a Dzień Dobry TVN feature published on April 3, 2026. One of Poland's biggest television channels devoted a separate report to her, describing Hanna as "one of Poland's most talented athletes" and a major hope for Polish judo.
Even more revealing was an article published two days later by the Poznan-based SP360 portal. Zaytseva was described as "Poznan's Olympic hope". Her coach and Akademia Judo Poznań president Radoslaw Miszkiewicz said that in his 26 years in judo he had seen many athletes, but considered Hanna's talent and determination exceptional.
Yet that same publication contained a detail that could be crucial to understanding what happened next.
Zaytseva did not yet have a Polish passport.
What happened to the Polish passport?
On April 5, SP360 reported that the athlete had applied for Polish citizenship. Miszkiewicz even made a public appeal for assistance in resolving the matter.
Zaytseva herself said that she saw her future and sporting career in Poland and wanted one day to win an Olympic medal for the country.
Less than six months later, she is representing Azerbaijan.
İdman.Biz was unable to find confirmation in open sources that Zaytseva eventually obtained Polish citizenship. There is also no public information indicating that her application was rejected.
That leaves at least two possible scenarios: either consideration of her application was delayed, or the citizenship process for some reason had not produced a positive outcome by the time an opportunity to continue her career with Azerbaijan emerged.
At the same time, the fact that she competed for Poland without holding a Polish passport would not necessarily have contradicted IJF regulations.
The International Judo Federation has a separate mechanism for young immigrants. Foreign judokas aged between 15 and 20 who reside in another country and meet requirements related to residence, education and training at a local club may, with IJF approval, represent their host country at junior and younger-age competitions. Under such status, an athlete does not necessarily have to complete the standard sporting nationality transfer procedure first.
This may explain what otherwise appears to be an unusual situation: Zaytseva was publicly seeking Polish citizenship in the spring while already competing internationally under the Polish flag.
She was still representing Poland on September 3
The speed of what followed is particularly striking.
On September 3, Zaytseva competed at the Junior European Championships in Podgorica as a representative of Poland. She finished fifth in the 63 kg category. This is reflected both in the tournament results and in her Polish IJF profile.
In other words, less than a month passed between her last major competition for Poland and her appearance on Azerbaijan's roster for the senior World Championships.
There is also an intriguing Baku connection to the story.
As part of their preparations for the European Championships, representatives of Poland's junior team held a nine-day training camp in Baku alongside Azerbaijani judokas.
A complete list of the Polish athletes who attended that camp could not be found in open sources, so it cannot be stated with certainty that Zaytseva was among them.
However, she was part of the Polish junior team preparing for the September European Championships and subsequently competed in Podgorica. It therefore cannot be ruled out that Hanna's contact with the Azerbaijani side began considerably earlier than her move became public.
How was the switch completed so quickly?
This is where the story becomes even more interesting.
Under the general IJF rules governing a change of sporting nationality, there is a three-year period following an athlete's last representation of their previous country. However, that period can be reduced or waived entirely if the necessary conditions are met.
Under the standard procedure, the consent of both national federations, the athlete's own request, a passport from the new country and IJF approval are required. A request concerning participation in a specific event is recommended to be submitted no later than 21 days before the registration deadline.
Zaytseva's case, however, may be different precisely because of her previous status as a young immigrant in Poland.
IJF regulations separately allow athletes under this status to change their country of residence without going through the standard nationality-change procedure, provided the relevant requirements are met. Therefore, the fact that Zaytseva represented Poland does not automatically mean that Warsaw necessarily had to "release" her under the conventional three-year procedure.
The senior World Championships are a different matter.
To compete in IJF events at senior level, an athlete would ordinarily have to prove the nationality of the country they represent with a passport or corresponding identity document.
Zaytseva's appearance on Azerbaijan's roster for the senior World Championships therefore suggests that the Azerbaijani side was able to resolve the issue of her legal status in a remarkably short period.
Azerbaijani legislation itself provides mechanisms that could make this possible. Foreign nationals may be granted citizenship without the usual residence requirement if they have outstanding achievements in sport or are considered to be of special interest to the country.
For athletes with significant sporting achievements, the process may also involve a substantiated application from the relevant state body inviting them to Azerbaijan. Given Zaytseva's sporting background, it is clear why she would be of interest to the country.
An investment in the future
Ultimately, Azerbaijan is getting an athlete who is only 19 but already has a Cadet World Championship silver medal, European Cup titles and experience competing against some of the strongest judokas of her generation.
There is another important aspect to the story. Judging by Polish reports from earlier this year, Zaytseva was already building her career with the Olympic Games firmly in mind.
The only difference is that in April, Poland was the country for which she hoped to win an Olympic medal. Now it is Azerbaijan that she will represent.
What exactly happened between April and October - whether it was the prolonged Polish citizenship process, an offer from Azerbaijan, contacts established during international training camps, or a combination of several factors - remains behind the scenes.
But one fact is striking enough on its own: on September 3, one of the biggest prospects in Polish junior judo stepped onto the tatami under the white-and-red flag. At the World Championships beginning in Baku on October 4, Hanna Zaytseva is set to represent Azerbaijan for the first time.
