According to him, applications for Croatian passports have been submitted to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and Kovtun has the opportunity to obtain citizenship through an expedited process: either as required for Croatian sports or as a Ukrainian "under special conditions," for which there is a "fast track" for documentation in the European Union.
Madarovich explained that after receiving the Croatian passport, an application must be submitted to the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) to change citizenship.
He predicts challenges at this stage due to Ukraine's stance. The coach believes that "Ukraine will clearly not let him go voluntarily," but the worst-case scenario could be a year of so-called sports quarantine, during which the athlete would be unable to participate in international competitions after changing affiliation.
"We are ready for anything," emphasized Madarovich.
In a comment to the Ukrainian publication Tribuna.com, Ukraine's Minister of Youth and Sports, Matvey Bedny, stated that the news of Kovtun and Gorbachova's decision to change citizenship "brings sadness and disappointment, and for many, justifiable outrage."
"The state, despite the extremely difficult conditions of wartime, provided him with all possible financial and organizational support, access to international training bases and competitions, and made accommodations so that the athlete could stay abroad when he deemed it necessary. It is very unfortunate that a well-known athlete chose another country and is turning his back on his homeland. I have never understood such decisions, especially during this challenging period," he remarked.
"Suspilne" reports that Kovtun left Ukraine in the early days after the onset of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022 and moved to the Croatian city of Osijek.
On December 4, 2024, the president of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine, Vadim Guttsait referred to the information about Kovtun's potential change of citizenship as "rumors," and also discussed the necessity for Gorbachova and Kovtun to return to Ukraine.