Anton Sikharulidze: “Judging by how things are developing and the mood within the ISU, we can say that in the near future, Russian senior athletes will also be able to compete internationally.”

FFKKR head Anton Sikharulidze expressed optimism that Russian figure skaters, both juniors and seniors, will soon be able to compete in ISU international tournaments.

original source: TASS

Anton Sikharulidze, head of the Russian Figure Skating Federation (FFKKR), commented on the admission of Russian figure skaters to international competitions. Here’s a translation.

“Anton Sikharulidze: Our interaction with the ISU has never stopped. We see that the ISU leadership, and especially President Jae Youl Kim, are very reasonable in their approach to the participation of the strongest athletes in competitions. He personally has done a lot to ensure that our skaters could participate in the Olympic Games.

I believe that in the near future, both our juniors and senior athletes will be able to take part in international competitions. We really see that the ISU is taking a sensible approach to this. They genuinely want this and are thinking about how to bring our athletes back as soon as possible. We are grateful to them for this. We have complete mutual understanding on this issue.

Q: In January, another ISU Council meeting is scheduled, where the issue of admitting our juniors to international competitions will be decided. In the best-case scenario, which event could be the first for them?

Anton Sikharulidze: There are many international tournaments for juniors. We are now ready to participate in any of them, so that, as they say in sports, our juniors can start gaining experience. Of course, we have sent a letter to the ISU, notifying them that we are ready to participate in any junior events as soon as the ISU Council makes a decision.

Q: Has the level of our juniors changed over these four years?

Anton Sikharulidze: Our juniors are skating very well; they are strong in all four disciplines. So we look to the future with hope. But I will remind everyone again about the need to work on components. Sometimes our young skaters get too caught up in jumps and difficult elements, forgetting about the second mark. But I feel that coaches are starting to hear and understand us on this issue. I hope that our juniors will be absolutely competitive, even as soon as tomorrow.

Q: Can the admission of juniors be seen as a sign that our seniors will soon be admitted as well?

Anton Sikharulidze: Judging by how things are developing and the mood within the ISU, we can say that in the near future, our senior athletes will also be able to compete in international competitions.”

Related topics: Anton Sikharulidze, ISU