Russian Youth Riders Agata and Karina Zakhrabekova Declare for Azerbaijan

Dressage

Russia

Russian youth riders Karina and Agata Zakhrabekova have declared for Azerbaijan and will make their come back to the CDI ring in Troisdorf (GER) riding for their new flag.

Zakhrabekova

Karina and Agata Zakhrabekova are the daughters of Russian Grand Prix rider and youth team trainer Irina Zakhrabekova.

Over the past few years the family has been splitting its time between Russia, their yard in Krefeld, Germany, and a stable in Spain. Their equestrian business runs under the name Zetta Sport.

The 17-year old Karina began her international show career on pony Caine (by Composer van de Beekerheide x Isarco) in 2018. In 2019 she rode Ein Stern (by Estobar x Florestan) in the Children division and won team bronze for Russia and was individually eight at the 2019 European Children Championships in San Giovanni in Marignano. In 2020 she moved Ein Stern to the junior division but also competed FS Daddy's Sunshine (by FS Don't Worry) at pony level. In 2021 and 2022 she focused exclusively on Ein Stern with CDI starts in Grote Brogel, Compiegne, Hagen, Kronberg, Aachen and Lier

The 15-year old Agata made her international debut in the Children classes in 2020 with Ein Champion ZS (by Winningmood x Santano) and later in the season also shared rides with Russian Polina Solodkina on pony Pentagon (by Prometheus B x Dornik). Agata and Ein Champion ZS won team bronze for Russia and finished fifth individually at the 2021 European Children Championships in Oliva Nova.

Azerbaijan

Karina Zakhrabekova at the 2019 European
Children Championship

Both have not competed internationally since March 2022 as the FEI Board took an Emergency Board Resolution to prohibit the participation of all Russian and Belarusian Athletes, Horses and Officials in international events because of the war in Ukraine. The FEI extended this ban in 2023 as Russian president Putin shows no signs of ending the war or retreating from Ukraine.

Agata and Karina will return to CDI competition this weekend in Troisdorf under the Azerbaijani flag. They have an Azerbaijani connection through their father, Eduard Zakhrabekov.

The FEI has only three dressage riders declared for Azerbaijan: the Zakhrabekova kids and the 33-year old Aydin Alibayov, who is yet to make his CDI debut.

Russians Changing Flag

The Zakhrabekovas are two in a string of Russian athletes who have been changing their nationality in order to return to competition sport.

Olympian Aleksandra Maksakova switched to Palestine, Elena Starr will compete for Armenia, Anna Guseynova declared for Israel.

Six months before the war, Belarusian Olga Safronova fled Belarus and sought asylum in Poland. She has now declared for Poland.