page_title: Viktor An
section_title: Russian citizenship
hierarchical_section_title: Viktor An / Personal life / Russian citizenship
caption_attribution_description: Русский: Орденом «За заслуги перед Отечеством» четвёртой степени награждён трёхкратный олимпийский чемпион и бронзовый призёр олимпийских игр в шорт-треке Виктор Ан.
context_page_description: Viktor Ahn, is a retired South Korean-born Russian short-track speed-skater. After competing for South Korea since childhood, in 2011 he became a Russian citizen and raced for the Russian team. One of the most accomplished short track speed skaters of all time, Ahn won three gold medals and a bronze medal in 2006 Winter Olympics, becoming the most successful athlete there. He has also won three gold medals and one bronze medal in the 2014 Winter Olympics. An is a six-time Overall World Champion for 2003–2007 and 2014.
  After winning gold in Sochi, Ahn explained his reasons for joining the Russian team saying, "I wanted to train in the best possible environment and I proved my decision was not wrong." As expected, a gold-winning athlete leaving the national team caused public uproar in South Korea. However, it was aimed not at Ahn, but at the country's skating union. Most South Korean fans in a poll said they understood Ahn's decision. Ahn received the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" Award 4th class with Russian President Vladimir Putin handing the state awards.
context_section_description: Ahn trained in Russia and received Russian citizenship to compete for Russia in the 2014 Sochi Olympics. Ahn's father stated that the decision was due to lack of support from the South Korean skating association. Prior to moving to Russia, Ahn did not know the Russian language and had no familial ties to Russia. He had considered competing for the United States, but found that the process for gaining Russian citizenship was much easier. He chose "Viktor" as his Russian name as it derived from Victory, and to pay tribute to Viktor Tsoi, a Soviet rock star of ethnic Korean descent.
  In South Korea, a furor erupted over the loss of Ahn to Team Russia, after his participation in the 2014 Winter Olympics. Several newspapers reported the scorn of the South Korean public and newspaper editors on the actions of the skating federation. The minister of sport and president of South Korea both promised action in rooting out corruption and feuding at the organization that may have led to his "defection", in a bid to clean it up in preparation for the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea. The South Korean public is generally supportive of Ahn. In September, 2018 Ahn announced his retirement from short track and  moved back to South Korea.
caption: Vladimir Putin and Ahn after the 2014 Olympics
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