Allison Reed, a US-born ice dancer recently granted Lithuanian citizenship by way of exception, took the oath of allegiance at the embassy in Ottawa on Tuesday.
“Alison Reed said she was deeply moved and happy to have been given the opportunity to become a Lithuanian citizen and emphasised that it inspires her to continue her active efforts to promote Lithuania’s name in the world,” the embassy posted on Facebook.
President Gitanas Nausėda granted the ice dancer Lithuanian citizenship in late November.
Nausėda had twice – in 2022 and 2023 – rejected Reed’s request to be granted Lithuanian citizenship by way of exception, saying that she had failed to prove her outstanding merits to Lithuania.
This year, however, she and her Lithuanian dance partner Saulius Ambrulevičius won a bronze medal at the European Figure Skating Championships in Kaunas.
According to the President’s Office, the National Olympic Committee, the Skating Federation, the embassy to Canada, and the chairwoman of the Lithuanian community in Canada recommended that Reed be granted Lithuanian citizenship for special merits.
Under the law, the president can grant Lithuanian citizenship by way of exception to foreign nationals or stateless persons who have “outstanding merits” to Lithuania and have integrated into its society.
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