Vaitsekhovskaya on Arutyunyan no longer listed as Malinin’s coach: “Only two coaches can accompany a skater at the Olympics. It seems Tatiana Malinina wants to witness her son’s victory in person, not on TV.”
Why Rafael Arutyunyan’s name may have disappeared from Ilia Malinin’s coaching team profile.
Original source: Elena Vaitsekhovskaya’s Telegram Channel
Elena Vaytsekhovskaya, Russian sports journalist, explained the likely reasons why Rafael Arutyunyan was no longer listed as part of Ilia Malinin’s coaching team in his updated ISU profile. Here’s a translation of her comment.
Malinin is primarily coached by his parents, Roman Skorniakov and Tatiana Malinina. Arutyunyan has served as a consultant, assisting when Malinin trained at his California rink, but his name being removed has sparked questions within the figure skating community.
Vaitsekhovskaya noted that the timing of Arutyunyan’s name being omitted from Malinin’s team could be tied to logistical preparations for the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. The organizing committee recently issued a notification to winter sports federations, reminding them that the registration deadline for official Olympic delegations is August 29.
“The nuance here is that each skater can only have two official coaches accompany them to the Olympic Games,” Vaitsekhovskaya explained.
Up until now, this limitation hasn’t been an issue for Malinin. His mother, Tatiana, has traditionally not attended competitions due to being too nervous watching her son skate, leaving his father, Roman, to act as his primary support at events. Arutyunyan’s presence in the kiss and cry area during competitions happened occasionally, but only upon request from Malinin or his father.”
Vaytsekhovskaya suggested that the change might reflect that Tatiana Malinina has decided to prioritize attending her son’s Olympic journey.
“It seems likely that Tatiana now really wants to witness the most important moment of her son’s life – not through a TV screen, but in real-time as he competes rinkside. After all, the moment your child becomes an Olympic champion is profoundly special – worth overcoming any personal fears.”
While acknowledging the possibility of Tatiana’s desire to be present, Vaitsekhovskaya also highlighted the potential drawback:
“There is, of course, an inherent danger in this. When a coach – or even a parent – becomes overly nervous, that anxiety is almost immediately transmitted to the athlete. At the Olympics, even minor emotional turbulence can lead to unpredictable outcomes.”
Vaytsekhovskaya concluded her reflections by referencing the well-known Russian adage: “Never change horses midstream.”
Related topics: Ilia Malinin, Rafael Arutyunyan, Tatiana Malinina
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