The International Skating Union (ISU) on Sunday announced the that leaves in force the removal of Russians from international competitions. Correspondent Sport — about why this decision was expected and how to respond to it.
So, the premonitions of the sources, who assumed that the ISU Council would not change the decision to prevent Russian and Belarusian athletes from participating in international tournaments, came true. Yes, the ISU has veiled the sharp «keep it out» under the vaguely vague wording «decided to explore feasibility issues regarding potential ways to implement IOC recommendations in ISU-sponsored competitions.» Those who read this ornate sentence to the end — well done, it was even more difficult to write it. But the key in the ISU release is the last sentence, that the previous decision on the removal of Russians and Belarusians is in force.
The ISU also added that it «will continue to monitor the situation in Ukraine and its impact on the activities of the ISU, as well as the decisions and their implementation within the Olympic movement.» Deciphering — we will see how the situation will develop «in the fields» (in the literal sense), and we will also wait for what they decide in other sports. It is obvious that the experience of holding world championships in judo and taekwondo with the participation of Russians and Belarusians in a neutral status, which was recognized as successful even by IOC President Thomas Bach, is not enough for the International Skating Union.
Thus, we can say for sure that Russian skaters will not be able to use the quotas for participation in the junior Grand Prix series, which the ISU had previously carefully allocated for them, in order to take them away later. As for the adult series, the question remains open. The next ISU Council is October 6-8 in Lausanne. The first Grand Prix tournament is October 20-22 in the USA. Purely theoretically, if the decision on the admission of Russians is made, and the ISU provides in advance conditional quotas in the same way as it did with juniors, then you can make it.
But in practice, it is hardly possible for Russian skaters to hope for the international season 2023/24. Even if something happens «in the fields» that deprives the ISU of real grounds to continue to discriminate against athletes from two separate countries on the basis of passport affiliation, this organization will find unrealistic grounds. And all for one simple reason (when they say this phrase, as a rule, it is actually complicated, but not in this case) — they are fine without us.
And this will be confirmed to you in behind-the-scenes conversations by those Russian specialists who continue to travel to international tournaments in the jackets of other teams. They greet them there, they say that they are glad to see them. They will even say in a whisper that they sympathize with the non-admission of Russian athletes (however, they may shout aloud later, as they say, during the last World Cup, a well-known Russian-speaking figure did in public). But you can't hide the truth — our excommunication in the «figure skating family», as the official Skating Family literally translates, is welcome there.
Here one can object — but how then is it that the ISU seems to regret the absence of Russian athletes, officially reporting financial losses in the organization due to their removal? The answer is also simple — he wants money. Having lost Russian sponsors and, quite possibly, some of the Japanese ones — in the Land of the Rising Sun, as you know, our skaters (especially figure skaters) are loved no less than their own — ISU, apparently, is trying to switch the vector of financial support to American and Canadian sources.
And the last thing they need is for Russian athletes to return. The United States and Canada in figure skating are focused exclusively on their favorites. Any figure skater who has performed in America will tell you that the program that is greeted with applause in other countries is greeted overseas with flimsy applause, if not silence. They react to their flag. And the more valuable merit of the medals of its athletes will attract much more than some kind of competitive struggle, in the possibility of which in figure skating, moreover, they do not really believe.
Of course, we have to admit: at some point they got tired of us. Our methods, state support, tough coaching approach — all this often makes it impossible for figure skaters from those countries where it is customary to pay for ice and specialist services out of pocket to compete with us. Thus, in fact, professional figure skating in Europe has died — individual nuggets get to the elite level, who were lucky enough to be born into a wealthy family or find sponsors. It is clear that in the current situation, deciding what is better — to give 10-11 medals out of 12 to Russia or distribute them among themselves, the European representatives of the ISU Council will choose the second option. the return of the Russians, at best, only the Japanese. But their voice alone is not enough. And others in the foreseeable future, in all likelihood, are not expected. Because they are fine without us.
The answer to the final topical question — what to do now — is also, oddly enough, simple. All the things we started doing last season. After all, by and large, Russian figure skating has managed to demonstrate that it is self-sufficient. The Russian Grand Prix series turned out to be absolutely no weaker than the similar international one. Take into account some of the shortcomings of last year — and there will simply not be a Grand Prix, but sweetie. The Russian Championship is no worse than the World Championship, the prize money has never been like this. Well, in order to come up with such a hit as a show program tournament, it would be worth asking the ISU to remove us.
The last, of course, is an exaggeration, but the essence is clear — in no case should you sprinkle ashes on your head. All that our skaters and coaches have really lost is the need to buy tickets for competitions in foreign cities and pay for accommodation there. We can demonstrate that we are no worse, if not better, than the rest of the world here. And they see it there — a screenshot of how last season the judge at the international Grand Prix stealthily watches the broadcast from the Russian Grand Prix on the phone, confirmation of this. And when they realize that we are even better off without them, they will be asked to return themselves.
The opinion of the author may not coincide with the position of the editors.