On Saturday, ice dancing pair Allison Reed and Saulius Ambrulevičius left many Lithuanians ecstatic after they won bronze medals at the European Figure Skating Championships in Kaunas. This achievement has renewed calls on President Gitanas Nausėda to grant Reed, a US national, Lithuanian citizenship.
Nausėda has already rejected Reed’s request to be granted Lithuanian citizenship by way of exception twice. It prevented the couple from competing at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. The President’s Office has justified the decision by saying that the ice dancer has not demonstrated special merits to Lithuania.
But the bronze medal at the European championship might just be this merit the president is looking for. Or at least many Lithuanians hope so, as calls to grant Reed Lithuanian citizenship spread on social media following the pair’s bronze triumph.
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The news agency ELTA asked the President’s Office whether Nausėda intends to reconsider the question of granting citizenship to Reed.
“The granting of citizenship is a procedure regulated by law. This procedure starts with the application of a person and only then is the question of granting citizenship decided,” the response reads.
A conservative MP Dalia Asanavičiūtė has also drafted an appeal to President Nausėda regarding the granting of Lithuanian citizenship to Reed.
The appeal proposes that the ice dancer be granted Lithuanian citizenship by way of exception for merit.
“We believe that such achievements as winning a bronze medal in an international competition for the first time in 18 years can be considered as a contribution to the enhancement of Lithuania’s power and authority in the international community within the meaning of Article 20 of the Law on Citizenship,” it states.
The president is urged to take into account Reed’s determination and willingness to represent Lithuania, her dedication to Lithuanian culture, and to allow her to continue to promote the country’s name in the world as a Lithuanian citizen.
The appeal notes that the granting of citizenship would allow Reed and Ambrulevičius to participate in the 2026 Winter Olympics representing Lithuania.
“Reed has proven her loyalty to the Lithuanian state over the seven years she has represented our country. Despite being denied Lithuanian citizenship twice, she has continued her sporting career representing Lithuania in international competitions with her Lithuanian partner Ambrulevičius,” the letter to the president said.
It also notes that Reed is a citizen of the US, a security partner and a friendly country to Lithuania.
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