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The Ukrainian Athletic Federation has debunked rumors of Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk training with the national track and field team. Mudryk is currently suspended from football amid investigations surrounding his use of a banned substance.
In December 2024, the 24-year-old was provisionally suspended by the FA after testing positive for meldonium. Mudyrk was subsequently charged with violating anti-doping rules and could be banned for four years if found guilty.
The Ukrainian international last featured for Chelsea in their 2-0 win over Heidenheim in the UEFA Conference League last November. Ahead of the 2025-26 season, Mudryk's situation worsened as the former Shakhtar Donetsk star lost his squad number 10 at Chelsea to Cole Palmer.
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Amid uncertainty about his future, Marca recently reported that Mudryk was considering switching to athletics and was looking to compete in track and field at the 2028 Olympics.
However, the Ukrainian Athletics Federation has responded to these claims, labelling them as untrue. When asked if the Chelsea star has made any move to switch to athletics, press secretary of the Ukrainian Athletics Federation, Olha Nikolaiyenko, debunked the rumors, saying on Dynamo.Kiev.Ua (via SportBible):
"No request has been received."
Nikolaiyenko was further quizzed on the possibility of Mudryk joining the Ukrainian athletics team. She replied:
"As long as the investigation into Mykhailo Mudryk’s doping case is ongoing, this is not and cannot even be a subject of discussion."
President of the Ukrainian Athletics Federation, Olga Saladukha, has also refuted the recent rumors about Mudryk, saying (via Tribuna):
"Mykhailo Mudryk is not training with the national track and field team for any competitions," she said. "And we have not had any discussions regarding his transition to track and field."
Mudryk joined the Blues for a reported £88 million in January 2023. The left winger is known for his speed and explosive plays, and notably recorded a top speed of 36.63 km/h on his Chelsea debut against Liverpool, which was one of the fastest in a Premier League game that season.
In 73 games for the Stamford Bridge outfit, Mudryk has scored 10 goals and provided 11 assists.
Mykhailo Mudryk's former club backs Chelsea star amid doping allegations
Shakhtar Donetsk has thrown its support behind Mykhailo Mudryk as investigations surrounding his use of banned substances continue. The club's sporting director, Dario Srna, has claimed that the 24-year-old is innocent and deserves full support.
He told the BBC (via GOAL):
"When we speak about Mudryk, we don't think about the money, we speak about the human being. We feel so sorry for him. We know he is 100 per cent innocent - he will show that. We support him like an ex-player, a human being and a friend. We don't think the money is important."
Mudryk's reported £88 million transfer to Chelsea in 2023 made him the most expensive footballer in Ukrainian football. He registered 12 goals and 17 assists in 44 outings for Shakhtar, winning two league titles.
