“Due to political issues, it is difficult to get into competitions in some countries. And there is no disagreement on the ice” – Coach of Russian figure skater Volkov

Figure skating coach Alexander Volkov has told how he is being received in European countries amid the Russians’ withdrawal from international tournaments.

In February 2022, the Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recommended that the International Federations prevent athletes from Russia and Belarus from participating in competitions due to the situation in Ukraine.

– In your group, several students represent different countries at the same time: Russia, Belarus, Lithuania, Kazakhstan, Armenia. How to combine it all?

– Yes, an international group has met. It’s quite difficult to combine, because there are a lot of tournaments in the schedule, which sometimes overlap. Basically, either Martina or I go to international tournaments.

– As a Russian coach, are you easily allowed to compete in Europe now?

– Not really. Due to political issues, it is difficult to participate in competitions in some countries. And on the ice, there is no disagreement. In Europe, after all, half of the coaches of figure skaters are Russian-speaking, and everyone communicates normally. They just avoid talking about politics and keep the sport out of everything, Volkov told .