“The world sports community today introduces the idea: there are no Russians – there is development, there are Russians – there is no development” – Vedenin

Champion of the Soviet Union in men’s individual skating, coach of the USSR national team and former judge Alexander Vedenin, in an interview with , spoke about the withdrawal of Russian athletes from international tournaments.

– World leaders have been discriminating based on nationality, and the public enthusiastically supports it.

Of course, there is hope for common sense that the new composition of the ISU Board of Directors will always bring Russian athletes back to the international stage. But when? We have an incredible team now. Of course, it was unequivocal Olympic champions – no matter what the doping manipulators of the IOC, ISU and WADA come up with – who tracked down the most remarkable figure skater of all time, Kamila Valieva at Beijing!

There is another important factor: for the development of sport, its representatives must compete with the strongest and reach out to the strongest. Recently, the absolute leaders in women’s singles and pair skating were removed from world figure skating. The fantastic Nathan Chen has decided to focus on his studies, the world legend Yuzuru Hanyu will not decide if he will continue to perform. Decade leaders in dance, Papadakis and Sizeron, are clearly finished, and Sinitsyna and Katsalapov, who follow behind, have been pushed aside… So who should we follow for the development of figure skating? And what do the leaders of the ISU think? Did we hear the answers to these burning questions at the recent convention? No, they weren’t even discussed. For all sports organisations, the political stakes are much higher today!

Note that the ISU congress in Thailand began with the fact that the representative of Ukraine offered to remove all Russians from the hall. It was his only speech during the whole meeting! That is, a person flew to Thailand for this. This act draws the circle of all his concerns regarding the development of world figure skating. And he’s not alone there. So, what kind of development can we talk about? The world sports community today presents the idea: there are no Russians – there is development, there are Russians – there is no development.

I do not understand how the suspension of Russian athletes from international competitions can help Ukrainian children who are in the war zone? I could understand ISU’s concern for Ukrainian figure skating if it allocated money and took its skaters to comfortable European or American bases – under the wing of the best coaches in the world. That would be help! And the encouragement of Ukrainian dancers who violated the rules of costumes and musical accompaniment at the World Championships only aggravates the scandal.

Of course, I am worried about the future of Russian figure skating. I am confident in its successful development. In March, in Sochi, I watched the Spartakiad of Russian students, in which children under 12 and no higher than the 1st sports category took part. I saw such an incredible level of skaters from all parts of the country that it became clear: this level of development will not be lost. But the level and progress of world figure skating causes me less excitement now,” Vedenin told .