“Direct support for the killing of people.” Ivan Shmuratko condemned the admission of figure skaters training in Russia and Russian coaches to competitions

Ukrainian figure skater Ivan Shmuratko about skaters who continue to train in Russia.

original source: suspilne.media dd. 23d March 2023

Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, Ivan Shmuratko has used every international performance to remind everyone of the war in Ukraine. All his programs this season were dedicated to this topic, in which Ivan, in particular, tells the story of a father and child being killed by a Russian missile.

After his performance at the World Championship, Shmuratko reacted to another mass shelling by Russia. He noted the passivity of some of his colleagues in supporting Ukraine. In an exclusive comment to Suspіlne Sport, Ivan called on the sports community to work on not aloving skaters who still train in Russia to competitions.

“Here in Canada, I feel the support among our diaspora, among those who have arrived,” says the skater. “Regarding what I feel after the events that happen every day, after the shelling… People who stand here — say they care. But between ‘caring’ and active actions against the admission of athletes who train in the aggressor country, the so-called Russian Federation, [there’s a big difference].”

At present, Russian and Belarusian figure skaters are not allowed to participate in international competitions, but the World championships, as well as this year’s European championships and other competitions, have athletes and coaches present who work in Russia.

“I think that having come to their senses, like Ukrainians, you can influence together. Everyone should do their part. Not everyone does it among those present here. Much work needs to be done on this,” says Shmuratko.

Ivan believes pressure needs to be applied to the International Skating Union (ISU), convincing them that banning the Russian flag alone is not enough – it is necessary to exclude everyone who trains in Russia and thus supports the war against Ukraine.

“[Full-scale] war has been going on for over two years. If [ISU President Kim Jae You] wanted to do something… Of course, people under the Russian flag are not allowed to compete, but we all see people coming who pay taxes [in Russia], which then go to rockets, drones, and other equipment that kills us, Ukrainians. And this, I believe, is direct support for the killing of people. So, I want to ask for help to ensure that those who pay taxes for the missiles that are flying at me and other Ukrainians, are not allowed to participate in competitions of such a level.”

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