“I heard these rumors, but this is still unconfirmed information, there is no official information anywhere. I, as the president of the NOC and as a person who has been involved in sports all my life, believe that we need to talk to both coach Iryna Gorbacheva and Ilya Kovtun. They are now abroad all the time, I know that they are helped in the country where they are, and they are running out of this help.
We need both the state, state bodies, and NOC to communicate, to offer them to return home. To make all the conditions for the top athlete, one of the best athletes in the world, so that he does not leave his citizenship. Because, in my opinion, it will be unacceptable – on our part not to take steps to offer Ilya and his coach Ms. Iryna to stay in Ukraine, to provide all the conditions.
For us, this is a very important athlete who is Ukrainian, has already represented Ukraine at the Olympic Games, won a medal there. It is important for us that he does not leave our country and does not change his citizenship.”
Source: sport.ua