“The suspension of our athletes are now under the jurisdiction of the federation council (15 people). It’s much easier to convince 8 out of 15 people.” Sikharulidze estimates a 50% chance for Russian athletes to return to international competition

Anton Sikharulidze, President of the Figure Skating Federation of Russia (FFKKR), assessed the chances of Russian athletes returning to the international stage at 50%.

original source: Sports / Figurexing

Anton Sikharulidze, President of the Russian Figure Skating Federation, estimates a 50% chance for Russian athletes to return to international competition and explains why the federation did not pursue legal action against the ISU. Here’s a translation.

“Fifty-fifty. For juniors, I think it’s 70 to 30, and for seniors, 50 to 50. But these are real 50-50 odds, not just talk – they exist. Last summer, there was an ISU Congress. Previously, all matters concerning the international federation’s operations were decided at a conference, with dozens of countries and their federation presidents voting on every issue.

Now, the situation has changed slightly, and in our favor. Many issues, including the suspension of our athletes from international competitions, are now under the jurisdiction of the federation council – a much smaller group of 15 people. Naturally, it’s much easier to resolve an issue and convince 8 out of 15 people than to persuade representatives from about 70 countries.

We were very pleased to have participated in making this change happen last summer. It’s a very significant shift. If things were as before, imagine raising the issue of Russians at a conference now – immediately, representatives from Estonia, Latvia, Ukraine, Luxembourg, and others would object. For example, the guy from Luxembourg, who sat next to me, was the loudest critic. I asked him, ‘What do you actually want?’ He was all dressed up and clearly unhappy when the topic of Russia came up. I said, ‘Why are you making a fuss? How many athletes do you even have?’ He replied, ‘I don’t know.’ I said, ‘Well, I do.’ If these people were making the decisions, our chances would be slim. And as for Finland’s Susanna Rahkamo – she’s the toughest critic of all.”

Sikharulidze also explained why the Russian Figure Skating Federation did not sue the ISU.

He commented on the case of Alexandra Stepanova and Ivan Bukin, who were denied neutral status and not allowed to qualify for the 2026 Olympics in ice dance. The pair did not appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

“First, they probably took a calm look at the situation. Second, as I said, the document ISU sent us was very clearly written, and we agreed to it. We had no other option. Once you agree, you play by those rules, and that’s what we did.

They allowed 50 percent of our athletes and excluded 50 percent. Thank goodness at least half were accepted. So, it was an agreement based on those documents. I would have liked to change it, but unfortunately, we had no opportunity to do so under those conditions. Moreover, our discussions with them led nowhere. ISU President Kim and other members told us, ‘Are you out of your minds? No other winter federation is even talking about this, and you’re not satisfied?’

Still, in the last couple of years, at least since I’ve been actively involved, our international federation has been very open and responsive. Starting a lawsuit against them… Not everything is in their power, and they try to explain and help, but if you insist on going to court, it won’t solve anything. The point is, you’d just be doing it for publicity. But our system doesn’t work that way. If you signed a document agreeing to the rules, and then you sue, what’s the point?” Sikharulidze said.

Related topics: Anton Sikharulidze, ISU