Vlad ZhukovAll materialsThe potential transfer of Russian figure skaters Diana Davis and Gleb Smolkin to the US team is logical and justified. In our environment, Diana (better known under the nickname Daughter of Tutberidze) and Gleb would still not be allowed to live. Last season, accompanied by scandals of varying degrees of loudness, showed that any objective success of the couple will be dissolved in talk of pulling, pushing through and holding on. The very specificity of ice dancing is conducive to squabbling, and there is less talk about naked sports than about who put in a good word for whom in front of respected people. America in this regard is just a gift of fate. Diana was born in Las Vegas and, according to the laws, could change her sports citizenship (if she hadn’t already). Gleb, judging by the documents unearthed by Western journalists, is Diana's husband at five minutes, and therefore the owner of a blue passport at five minutes.
Diana Davis and Gleb Smolkin The ease with which the couple can solve the problems of the international isolation of Russian sports is amazing. While our other skaters have to prove to the International Skating Union (ISU) their commitment to the new team by living in the country for a year or more, Davis and Smolkin fulfilled all the necessary criteria even before the official submission of documents to change the team. From a bureaucratic point of view, it worked flawlessly. Further — the nuances. American blogger Dave Leese said that recently the skaters have joined the US Figure Skating Association. Purely theoretically, this step may mean nothing. Earlier it was reported that Diana and Gleb are planning to perform at the Challenge Cup tournament in the American Ardmore (September 22-25), and membership in the federation could be useful to them. For example, so that the organizers do not have to explain later how Russian athletes got into the application at all. In modern times, this factor is of particular importance.
