“I’m not thrilled with the ice quality. I think the ice at the Olympic arena should be a bit better.” and “In my bathroom, either upstairs or downstairs, people are smoking and I have asthma.” Smolkin and Davis on ice and living conditions in the Olympic Village
Ice dancers Gleb Smolkin and Diana Davis on their performance in the rhythm dance in the Team event, challenges with the ice quality at the Milan Olympic arena and living conditions in the Olympic Village.
original source: Sport24
Diana Davis and Gleb Smolkin shared that the ice at the Olympic arena in Milan is not of the best quality and criticized the living conditions in the Olympic Village at the 2026 Milan Games, citing issues with smoking and maintenance. Here’s a translation of their comments.
“Q: You said you could have skated a bit better, but how close to your best was it, percentage-wise?
Gleb Smolkin: About ninety percent, I think. We opened up more toward the end, felt freer. At first, we were still getting a feel for the ice, the audience, everything around us, and the size of the rink. I’m not thrilled with the ice quality – everyone keeps praising it, but I don’t know, maybe that’s just the custom. I think the ice at the Olympic arena should be a bit better.
Q: Is it better in Montreal?
Gleb Smolkin: Definitely, yes.
Q: What’s the issue exactly?
Diana Davis: When we do sliding moves, the knee breaks through and the slide stops.
Gleb Smolkin: This morning, when I went out, the ice had just been resurfaced and was in good condition. Then two machines resurfaced it again, layering water on top of each other, creating a thick layer.
The first group goes out into the water, so water splashes everywhere, but that’s still okay. Then, in 30 minutes, the water freezes. When we go out in the second group, the ice becomes very springy and almost stone-like. We start bouncing on it, and if you go down on your knee, it just tears apart.
Q: Did this affect your performance?
Gleb Smolkin: Not really, we’re all in the same conditions, and we try to tune it out. But there are things you need to pay more attention to. On good ice, you can fly, jump, have fun, but here you have to be more grounded, watch how you place your feet and edges, or the ice will just bounce you around.
Q: Did you tell the people who resurface the ice?
Gleb Smolkin: We did, but it doesn’t help.”
Georgian figure skaters Diana Davis and Gleb Smolkin voiced complaints about the living conditions in the Olympic Village at the 2026 Games in Milan.
Q: How are things in the Olympic Village? Did they fix the lights for you?
Gleb Smolkin: Nothing’s been fixed. Honestly, it leaves much to be desired.
Diana Davis: In my bathroom, either upstairs or downstairs, people are smoking.
Gleb Smolkin: We’re going to try to figure out who it is. Because the smell of smoke is really strong.
Diana Davis: I have asthma.
Gleb Smolkin: So it’s extremely uncomfortable in every way.”
Related topics: Diana Davis Gleb Smolkin, Olympic Games
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