A major controversy has erupted in Poland after 19-year-old Ukrainian-born judoka Hanna Zaitseva made her debut for the Azerbaijani national team at the recent World Judo Championships in Baku, where she failed to win a medal.
As reported by İdman.Biz, the athlete has faced accusations of ingratitude and even betrayal of Poland, the country she previously represented in international competitions.
Following a critical statement from the Polish Judo Association and numerous negative comments directed at Zaitseva, a journalist from the popular Polish sports portal Weszło came to her defence. The publication released an extensive opinion piece titled "Did a Ukrainian betray Poland? I understand her", in which the author condemned the backlash against the young athlete and examined the reasons behind her decision.
Zaitseva, who previously competed for Poland and won a silver medal at the World Cadet Championships under the Polish flag, made her senior World Championships debut for Azerbaijan in Baku in October. However, her change of sporting nationality drew criticism from the Polish Judo Association, which highlighted the financial, medical and training support she had received in Poland.
Polish officials were particularly disappointed by the fact that Zaitseva had publicly expressed her desire earlier this year to obtain Polish citizenship and represent the country at the Olympic Games.
The athlete herself explained that her plans had changed primarily because of uncertainty surrounding the processing of the necessary documents. Notably, İdman.Biz had previously identified delays in obtaining Polish citizenship as the likely main reason behind the young judoka's decision to switch to Azerbaijan.
"I consider Poland my home, and if I had all the necessary documents, I would not even have considered changing countries. But I could not wait any longer without knowing how much longer it would take. Time is passing, and unfortunately, an athlete's career is very short," Zaitseva told Głos Wielkopolski.
The judoka also emphasised her gratitude to her Polish club, Akademia Judo, and her coach, who supported her through the difficult decision.
According to Zaitseva, Azerbaijan has provided her with all the necessary conditions to continue her career. However, adapting to life in Baku has not been easy. She admitted that she is going through a difficult period and misses Poland and "everything she left behind", but believes the move was necessary to pursue her sporting ambitions.
Zaitseva also disputed some of the Polish Judo Association's claims regarding the assistance she had received. In particular, she revealed that following shoulder surgery, her club covered the costs of rehabilitation, while the federation, according to her, failed to provide the necessary support.
"The federation mentioned that it funded my medical examinations. I suppose they meant the examinations every six months to confirm my fitness to compete and the shoulder operation. It's a shame, however, that the statement said nothing about how I was left to deal with everything on my own after the surgery. Akademia Judo then took responsibility for financing my rehabilitation. The federation did not lift a finger," the judoka stated.
The author of the Weszło article sided with the athlete, arguing that her decision was entirely understandable. The journalist pointed out that without Polish citizenship, Zaitseva could not fully pursue her international career at senior level, while Azerbaijan's offer allowed her to avoid a potentially prolonged period of inactivity.
The columnist also criticised the numerous accusations of betrayal and ingratitude circulating on social media. In his view, it is unfair to expect a 19-year-old athlete to sacrifice her sporting prospects simply because she had previously received support in Poland.
The journalist recalled that Zaitseva had already won international medals for Polish judo and had therefore contributed to the country in return for the resources invested in her development.
Notably, Akademia Judo president Radosław Miśkiewicz also defended his former athlete, stressing that Zaitseva had not betrayed Poland.
In conclusion, the Weszło journalist admitted that he would have preferred to see the talented judoka continue representing Poland but understood the reasons behind her decision. In his opinion, the most troubling aspect of the controversy is that the person suffering most from the public backlash is the young athlete herself.
