“Why make a mistake? It is not so much the grace of Zagitova nor the beauty of Trusova’s jumps that will lead girls to figure skating” – Stepanova

Olympic cross-country ski champion Veronica Stepanova in her column on , she expressed the opinion that the demonstration of material wealth by Russian figure skaters would serve as an additional incentive for the parents of young athletes.

—Tove Alexandersson. Is your last name familiar to you? But she seems to have already won everything in orienteering a million times. Running and skiing. But just as she played for her local club, she continues to perform and please the same local fans.

I have absolutely nothing against this wonderful sport of orienteering, but it is an amateur sport. At best, semi-professionals. There are probably 300,000 people doing it all over the world. Partly because we can’t make a living from this sport. Certainly not for the “good life on social networks”.

Why be hypocritical and make mistakes? It’s not just the grace of Alina Zagitova or the beauty of Sasha Trusova’s jumps that will lead a million new girls to figure skating. On the contrary, photos of their new cars on social networks will impress a million mothers and fathers of these girls… We, mere mortals, will never have such cars in our lives. That won’t stop you from admiring their skating. But for many, such a display of material wealth will serve as an incentive. And this is also correct and normal – much better than dreaming of becoming a “trash star on social networks,” Stepanova wrote.