“The Sochi Games gave a huge impetus to the development of figure skating in Russia” – Olympic champion Bobrova

Olympic ice dancing champion Ekaterina Bobrova explained how the successful performances of Russian figure skaters at the 2014 Sochi Games influenced the development of the sport in the country.

2024 marks the 10th anniversary of the Sochi Olympic Games. The Russian team won 33 medals and took first place in the tournament medal standings. Russian skaters won gold in the team competition and Adelina Sotnikova also won a gold medal in the women’s singles.

— This month, we’re talking about the sporting legacy of the Sochi Games. How did these successes influence the further development of figure skating in Russia?

— In the most positive way, because such a boom, when after the Sochi Games they began to bring children to figure skating, it seems to me, took place only after the 2006 Olympic Games. Then , our athletes also won a large number of medals.

— How has interest in figure skating among children and young athletes changed after the Sochi Games?

— The influx of children into figure skating after the Sochi Games was very noticeable: parents began to send their children to our sport much more often. And for young athletes already involved in figure skating, the Sochi Games have become a source of inspiration and determination.

— This month we remember the Sochi Games, especially in terms of their legacy. How would you characterize the legacy of the Sochi Games for our entire Russian sport ten years later?

— If we take figure skating specifically, of course, our sport is growing by leaps and bounds. And if we take this decade, the Sochi Games undoubtedly gave a huge boost to this, not only from a professional sports point of view, but also from a spectacle point of view. Once again, a large number of schools have been opened, and of a good standard, and not just small sections, but schools in their own right. There has also been more funding. We did not complain before the Sochi Games, but even after they continue to support us,” Bobrova told the official website of the Russian Olympic Committee.