Figure skating-Fournier Beaudry granted French citizenship

Laurence Fournier Beaudry announced she had become a French citizen on Saturday, making the Canadian-born 33-year-old eligible to compete for France at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics alongside partner Guillaume Cizeron.

In March, Olympic ice dance champion Cizeron announced he would be teaming up with Fournier Beaudry, months after Fournier Beaudry's former partner Nikolaj Sorensen was suspended for six years for "sexual maltreatment".

"It's official: I'm now French," Fournier Beaudry, who also previously represented Denmark, wrote in a post on Instagram.

"An immense joy, and especially a great gratitude to all those who have accompanied me on this beautiful journey since the very beginning."

Switching national allegiances is common in both ice dance and pairs figure skating because of the shortage of partners.

Cizeron, 30, and Gabriella Papadakis won the 2022 Beijing Olympic gold medal and five world titles before announcing their retirement in December 2024.

The Frenchman returned to competition alongside Fournier Beaudry earlier this year, winning the Grand Prix de France last month.