The press attaché of the Ukrainian Athletics Federation (UAF), Olga Nikolenko, has commented on circulating rumors that Chelsea winger and Ukrainian national football team player Mykhailo Mudryk is allegedly considering switching sports to join the Ukrainian athletics team and compete at the 2028 Olympics. This was stated by the federation’s representative, reports Baltimore Chronicle.
According to Nikolenko, no official requests from Mudryk regarding joining the federation have been received. She emphasized that the possibility of including him in the national athletics team cannot even be discussed while the doping investigation involving the footballer is still ongoing.
Nikolenko also reminded that in sports history there have been cases of athletes transitioning from one discipline to another. One of the most notable examples is British athlete Adam Gemili, who left football for athletics and went on to become European champion in the 200-meter sprint, as well as a medalist at World and European Championships as part of the 4x100m relay team. She also pointed out examples of the opposite transition — from athletics to other sports. American sprinter Lolo Jones, for instance, later joined the bobsleigh team after her track career.
Earlier we wrote that Ex-Dynamo Kyiv goalkeeper Artur Rudko detained at border while trying to leave Ukraine.
