OMM Redaksiyası
19-year-old Hanna Zaytseva has been named to Azerbaijan’s team for the world judo championships. The International Judo Federation’s entry list shows the athlete, who competes in the 63-kilogram category, under the Azerbaijani flag.
Born in the Ukrainian city of Sloviansk, Zaytseva moved to Poland in 2022 and continued training with the “Akademia Judo Poznan” club. She won a silver medal at the 2024 World Cadet Championships and claimed victory at the European Cup in Poznan in 2026.
From Poland to Azerbaijan’s national team
Zaytseva competed for Poland at the European Cadet Championships in Podgorica on Sept. 3, finishing fifth in the 63-kilogram category. Less than a month has passed between her last competition for Poland and her inclusion in Azerbaijan’s world championships team.
According to reports published by Polish media in April, the athlete had applied for Polish citizenship at the time and said she wanted to pursue her future career in the country. There is no publicly available information on the outcome of Zaytseva’s application.
It has not been disclosed how her legal status was formalized for her to compete for Azerbaijan. The source notes that, as a rule, athletes must provide documentary proof of citizenship in the country they represent to compete at the senior world championships.
Zaytseva is expected to represent Azerbaijan for the first time at the world championships, which begin in Baku on Oct. 4. The International Judo Federation organizes the championships as the sport’s senior world-level competition, bringing together athletes from national teams around the world.
