The age limit was raised so that Russian figure skaters would not have the opportunity to win medals at major international competitions at the age of 15, however, the coach Eteri Tutberidze will be able to bring his athletes to peak form at the age of 17, Olympic champion Dmitry Solovyov expressed his opinion in a conversation with .
Earlier on Tuesday, the International Skating Union (ISU) Congress adopted the organization’s board’s proposal to gradually raise the age limit to 17.
– I can say that this decision will mainly affect many Russian skaters. And more outrageous. But at the same time, at the age of 17, skating already has more meaning, – noted Soloviev in an interview with “- More meaning in terms of understanding the figure, understanding the choreography and of everything that happens in this sport, so this is quite a controversial point: at 15, girls manage to jump incredibly difficult jumps, and at 16-17 there is already a turning point when they grow up and , of course, many elements are lost, if an athlete manages to overcome this difficult period, then it is good, but if not, it is very difficult, because the body, psychology, attitude to sports change, it is not easy.
How do I feel about it? First of all, I think it was done in order to more or less level the competition, so that our Russian figure skaters would not have the opportunity to win medals at the World Championships, in Europe and at the Olympics. Because other athletes, unfortunately, do not have such competition, and fortunately our skaters are the strongest in the world. At 17, probably, there will already be an equal fight. Although, in my opinion, Eteri Tutberidze will find a way to bring his athletes into top form at the age of 17-18, so that at this age they can show their best results in international competitions. In general, I have an ambiguous attitude about this. But I’m sure we’ll always find a way. If only we had the opportunity to participate in international competitions, that is the most important thing.
– In the near future, unfortunately, our athletes will be deprived of the opportunity to participate in international tournaments.
– Yes, and now the most important thing is that this period does not break many skaters, coaches and the federation. Because these are difficult times not only for the athletes, but also for the country. But it takes time for everything to fall into place.
Source : MatchTV
I am William Jackson and I have a passion for sports journalism. With over 3 years of experience in the industry, I have worked in a variety of roles to improve the quality and accuracy of sports news coverage. As an author at Athletistic, I specialize in covering football news and providing comprehensive analysis for fans around the world.
