Country changes in figure skating

There are many different reasons why competitors switch countries, but it mostly comes down to maximizing the possibility of being able to compete at the World Figure Skating Championships and the Winter Olympic Games.

They could claim citizenship of a former Soviet republic and represent that country, and it is normal to see skaters from the SSRs who formerly skated for Russia.

[1][2] In previous years, this meant looking back towards Europe, but, more and more, skaters from the United States are looking south towards Puerto Rico and Mexico for countries to represent.

This, combined with the fall of the Soviet Union, has led to a phenomenon that many in skating circles refer to disparagingly as Rent-A-Russian.

In less successful couples, the male is often much more experienced than the female, and the differences in their skill levels often leads to tension and the dissolution of the partnership.

Therefore, multinational pair and ice dancing teams may not able to qualify for Olympic Games due to citizenship problems.