“The more isolated our figure skating is, the more athletes will leave” – ​​Tarasova on Davis and Smolkin’s possible transition to the Israeli team

Honored Coach of the USSR in Figure Skating Tatiana Tarasova in a conversation with , she expressed the opinion that the transition of the dance duo Diana Davis and Gleb Smolkina from Russia to the Israeli national team is associated with the withdrawal of Russian skaters from international competitions.

Earlier, American journalist Dave Leese said Davis and Smolkin could go on to play for the Israeli national team. “More and more it looks like Diana Davis and Gleb Smolkin can represent Israel,” Liz said on the latest episode of YouTube channel The Skating Lesson.

“People choose for themselves where to live, who to train with and how to manage their own destiny,” Tarasova told . – I can understand that, we know that the Italian Grassl trains with Eteri Tutberidze, we are happy with it, so there is no crime in the passage of Davis / Smolkin to the Israeli federation. The International Skating Union does not give us the opportunity to participate in international competitions, so a naturally destructive process is underway.

– Don’t you think that if this trend continues, then we will have few couples among the dancers?

– We don’t have them anyway, but the longer our figure skating remains isolated, the more Russian athletes will leave our country, because life in sport is very short.

Davis and Smolkin train in the United States under Igor Shpilband.