Alexei Mishin: We need more benevolence and sympathy for the wonderful skaters

Alexei Mishin about the decision to include Medvedeva into the team for Worlds 2019.

by matchtv.ru

How do you feel about the decision of the Federation of figure skating to include Evgenia Medvedeva into the team for World Championships who, in fact, failed the current season? And what do you think about the national team selection system, when the coaching council decides whom to include into the national team as the main athlete and whom as substitute?

Alexei Mishin: It is very difficult for me to answer your questions, because all these people who are involved in making such decisions are all my friends. Half of the judges who worked there are also my friends. But I have one comparison. I will try to be very soft. You know, Boris Pasternak once wrote his novel Doctor Zhivago. And in that historical era, the best writers expelled Pasternak from the Writers Union. Well, we have the situation with Liza Tuktamysheva – the best Russian coaches voted for Liza not to go. None of the Soviet writers read the novel Doctor Zhivago, but they thought it was bad. Not all coaches saw Liza Tuktamysheva skate. Probably, they had some important considerations that resolved the issue not in favor of Tuktamysheva.

I would not like to pedal this question, because thre’s already not a very good environment in the Internet. It is not right. We need more benevolence and sympathy for the wonderful skaters. Zhenya Medvedeva is an excellent athlete who is deeply respected by me, and Lisa Tuktamysheva. All of them are good athletes and deserve a lot of good words.

Therefore, I ask the online community, please, let’s love figure skating and the people who are inside it. And we, the people who are inside figure skating, will love you.

Related topics: Alexei Mishin, Elizaveta Tuktamysheva, Evgenia Medvedeva