VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) — The president of Lithuania has refused to grant citizenship to an American figure skater who had hoped to compete for the Baltic country at the 2014 Sochi Olympics.
The office of President Dalia Grybauskaite says the decision not to grant citizenship to Isabella Tobias was based on a previous ruling by the Constitution Court that bars awarding citizenship on the basis of future merit.
The 21-year-old Tobias dances with Lithuanian partner Deividas Stagniunas, and in 2011 the pair won the bronze medal at Skate America.
In October, Tobias applied for citizenship in order to compete for Lithuania at the 2014 Games in Russia.
The president’s office says the Constitutional Court ruling should not be questioned.
