Actor and former basketball player Andrey Sviridov expressed his assessment of Russian and Belarusian athletes who decide to change sports citizenship in order to have the opportunity to participate in international competitions.

The artist stated that he would not judge such athletes, since everyone makes their own decision.

“Who am I to judge someone? Everyone makes their own decision. I will not judge someone who changes citizenship for the sake of a sports career, and someone who may lose his sports career for the sake of his country. There cannot be a one-sided position here, just like whether to give a girl an abortion or not,” said Sviridov, whose words leads Gazeta.Ru.

Sviridov stressed that this choice is an internal matter of the sport, and that there have been cases in the past when European athletes took Russian citizenship in order to compete in local competitions. He wished everyone good luck and to choose the right path, noting that Russian athletes are very strong.

Sviridov is known for his acting career, especially for his role as security guard Gena in the popular TV series “Univer” and “SashaTanya”. After ending his sports career due to injury, he received an acting education and began acting in films.