SERPUKHOV (Moscow region), February 5, Ivan Orekhov. Olympic champion in artistic gymnastics Nikita Nagorny, in a conversation with, expressed the opinion that the situation around Kamila Valieva contributed to the popularization of figure skating in Russia.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on January 29 disqualified Valieva for four years for violating anti-doping rules and annulled her results in competitions from December 25, 2021. The Russian Olympic Committee (ROC), in response to the CAS verdict in the Valieva case, stated that “war has been declared on Russian sport.” The Russian Figure Skating Federation said it strongly disagrees with the decision.
«»Such stories are also PR — it affects the popularization of the sport. The Russian President noted in October that the popularity of figure skating in the country has grown by more than 300 percent. Has this situation (with Valieva) had an impact? Definitely. There are negative aspects «, but there are also positive ones. People saw what happened (in Beijing), were not indifferent, supported the athlete on social networks and brought their children (to the skating rink),» noted the winner of the Games.