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Acting President of the Russian Figure Skating Federation Anton Sikharulidze in an interview with Sport voiced the federation’s position on change of sports citizenship and the participation of current figure skaters in the show, and also told why one should not have illusions about the ISU.
“Healthy” dance judging
— How do you rate the Russian championship that ended in Chelyabinsk?
— The Russian Championship summed up the first half of the season. For me, the competition that we saw in all four types of the program is of paramount importance. We can safely say that among sports couples we are ahead of the rest. We can safely say that few people in the world can compete with our girls. Russian coaches do not lower their demands on themselves and their players. Girls grow up, it becomes more difficult to work with them, but Eteri Tutberidze, whose students Adelia Petrosyan and Kamila Valieva climbed to the podium, and Evgeni Plushenko, who raised the silver medalist of the Russian Championship Sofya Muravyova, cope with this task.
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— Are Russian skaters competitive in the other two types of programs?
— For men, first of all, I will note the competition at the Russian Championship itself. Each of the six skaters who performed in the strongest warm-up, and several more from the penultimate one, could qualify for medals, including gold. The general level of men's single skating has improved significantly. This time I watched the ice dancing with great interest. And in this type of program there was a struggle for a place on the podium, despite the obvious leadership of Alexandra Stepanova and Ivan Bukin. I would especially like to note the “healthy” refereeing, which I consider an achievement of the federation. We saw both the degree of competence of Russian referees and their commitment to the sporting principle. I hope figure skating fans appreciate it too.
— When it comes to refereeing, supporters of two points of view clash. Some believe that at the national championship it is necessary to make even higher demands than at international competitions, others, on the contrary, call for supporting Russian figure skaters suspended from the World and European Championships with high scores. Which category do you belong to?
— In communicating with our referees, we urged you to adhere to the golden mean. We didn’t lower the bar, but we didn’t raise it either, if we compare judging with international competitions. I advocate exactly this approach. If we see something brilliant on the ice, then we don’t need to skimp on high scores. The task of judges today is to give Russian skaters an understanding of what level they are at.
“Whoever really left Russia should not be kept”
— You mentioned that our sports couples are ahead of the rest, but the winners of the ISU Grand Prix Final, Minerva Haze and Nikita Volodin, with their points scored in Beijing, would have entered to the top five in Chelyabinsk. Is there any fear that, resting on our laurels, after returning to the international arena we will cede leadership in the traditional Russian form?
— I don’t have the feeling that our sports couples are not progressing. The same can be said about the other three species. Compared to last year's national championship in Krasnoyarsk, everyone has taken a step forward. The overall level has become higher, and this is an objective assessment. All our skaters, and especially our leaders, keep an eye on what is happening in the world of figure skating. Even in an absentee dispute, they strive to surpass potential competitors.
— During the Russian Championship, interesting news appeared: the European Court decided that the ISU cannot prohibit skaters from participating in commercial competitions in our country and punish them for this. Have you ever thought of holding a commercial tournament in Saransk or Sochi?
— There was no time in Chelyabinsk to discuss this news and put forward any ideas. Moreover, understanding what ISU functionaries are breathing now, I am sure that they will find a loophole to still ban skaters from participating in competitions in Russia. We do not have any euphoria after the decision of the respected court. We see how foreign partners have behaved over the past years.
— How do you react to the fact that today Russian coaches are preparing for the World Championships and Europe of foreign skaters, even from unfriendly countries?
— On the last straight line, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that sport is designed to unite people. Politics should not influence this process. We will not look at how they treat us, but will follow our own line: act nobly. Foreign skaters, of whom there are not so many today, have been training with Russian specialists for several years. It is their students who trust our coaches. And for them they are children. They don’t abandon their children!
— There were fears that after the ban imposed on Russian figure skaters, many would rush to change their sports citizenship. This is not happening yet, but the FFKKR gives permission to some to change the flag, and refuses to others. By what criteria does this happen?
— Complex issue. My position: those who actually left Russia and live and train abroad should not be kept. The FFKKR did not help them, the country did not invest money in their training. But there are questions about those in whom I invested and in whom I hoped in terms of return in the form of sports results. We are categorically against the idea that the skater first agrees on the transition, and then quickly begins to apply for citizenship. Quite recently I spoke with one of these athletes, who came to test the waters regarding a transfer to another team, and directly said: “At the executive committee I will vote against the transfer.”
I would like to emphasize that such a decision is made by the executive committee, and not by one of the leaders of the FFKKR. If at first, after the removal of our athletes from international competitions, we were quite loyal to such transitions, now the position will be tougher.
strong>- The dance duo Diana Davis/Gleb Smolkin, having received permission to move to Georgia, compensated the FFKKR for the costs of their preparation for the last season. If there are interested sponsors in Kazakhstan, will Sofya Samodelkina receive such permission?
— Let me emphasize once again that such a decision can only be made by the executive committee of the FFKKR. I have already expressed my attitude to the issue of transitions. If we talk specifically about Samodelkina, she is a truly talented skater. Her last season did not go well, judging by the results. She is not among the leaders of Russian figure skating among women. Let her decide whether she will fight with those who showed themselves in Chelyabinsk, or look for easy ways in the national team, where she will have no competitors.
br>»Shows have become a problem»
— Your predecessor as president of the St. Petersburg Figure Skating Federation, Sergei Chopozov, proposed introducing a transfer system when transferring skaters. What is the point for you, as the president of the St. Petersburg federation, to pay for the training of Alexandra Boykova and Dmitry Kozlovsky, who train in Moscow, who allowed themselves in Chelyabinsk, to put it mildly, not very flattering statements about working with the previous coach, whose sports club they represent?
— I will leave the statements of my young colleagues without comment. Of course, we are thinking about how to make the process of athletes transferring from one coach to another, and even more so from one city to another, on the one hand, comfortable, and on the other, fair. It is especially difficult to find solutions that would help the development of figure skating in regions where the best leave for Moscow or St. Petersburg.
Almost all the time after I became head of the FFKKR, I think about this. We have not yet reached a consensus with our colleagues in the federation. The question is very complex, and we will try to return to it in the spring, when the competitive season ends. We will collect the opinions of all interested people and listen to experts. Transitions in figure skating are inevitable, but we must strive to ensure that they are not scandalous.
— In Chelyabinsk, in addition to Moscow and St. Petersburg, Perm was represented by sports pairs, one skater came from the Stavropol region, and one figure skater came from the Tula region, and even the figure skaters training in Moscow represented the Republic of Mari El and the Tver region. Are you concerned, as the head of the federation, about the reduction in the geography of competition participants and especially the absence of representatives of the Sochi school, where, after the 2014 Olympics, all conditions for the development of figure skating have been created?
— People enter the Russian Championship based on the results of selection at the Grand Prix stages, where many regions were represented. If we talk about the Sochi school, it has existed for less than ten years, but in order to raise high-class skaters, it takes years. Olympic champions Alexey Urmanov and Fedor Klimov are working in Sochi, but we need to give them time. To raise a Russian champion, not to mention Olympic champions, you need to put thousands of kids through initial training groups.
— Many Russian collections are now carried away by participation and – let’s be honest – by making money on the show. You and Elena Berezhnaya went into this business only after you became Olympic champions. Can the FFKKR control the number of shows for active athletes so that this does not harm their performances at competitions?
— Today this has become a problem. Until recently, the federation was very democratic in relation to athletes making a request to participate in the show. The skaters themselves chose both the show and the schedule of their performances. Practice has shown that some skaters abuse this. Someone came to Chelyabinsk, having performed in a show three or four days before. Perhaps this is a coincidence, but none of them showed their best performances at the main start of the season. I would like to appeal to both coaches and skaters with a request to wisely schedule performances in the show. If at the time when Elena Berezhnaya and I were performing, someone came to Tamara Nikolaevna Moskvina with a request for permission to perform in the show a week before the important competition, our coach would not even listen to the visitor to the end. The word “no” would be heard instantly.
When preparing for the main start of the season, the skater must concentrate on it. After all, it only seems that at the show there is only bright spotlights and applause. Energy is wasted, emotions spill over, which should not happen before the Russian Championship. If the appeal to the coaches and athletes does not have any effect, then we at the FFKKR will discuss the situation and, possibly, prohibit the team members from performing in shows before important tournaments. This is in no way a repressive measure, but a desire to help guys who do not have the experience that we have. It seems to them that they can do everything and will succeed in everything!
— How justified is the presence in the main and reserve composition of the national team of skaters who have announced the suspension of their careers or simply do not participate in competitions?
— I believe that the national team should only include those who perform during the season. And in general, I am a supporter of the team being formed solely on sporting principles. You can include some very promising juniors in the adult team in advance, but even the most deserved champions must participate in all-Russian competitions.
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