At a press conference on Dec. 19, Russian Figure Skating president Alexander Gorshkov and Alexander Kogan, director general of the federation, responded to questions posed by journalists about the participation of junior-level skaters in the senior Championships, and what will change in the coming year in that regard.
“Many junior athletes will be able to participate in senior championships as early as next year,″ Gorshkov said. ″Going into senior sports for young athletes is not an easy step to adapt to, and our guys who participate in the senior Championships have this opportunity. It’s no secret that other countries have begun to follow our example, so there’s no point in changing anything.”
Kogan had two additions. ”First, next year′s juniors will be able to participate in senior competitions as well as fight for high places. Modern figure skating is such that without competitive practice it is impossible to immediately achieve high results.
”And the second: Some of our foreign partners — and I have heard such proposals — want to limit the number of Russian figure skaters participating in major competitions because they lack places for other countries. In this regard, the question arises: How can you limit those who skate well, to let in those who skate badly? And here, at the Championships, the situation is similar. If young athletes win the right to participate in the national championships, then let them participate and show results and delight us with high achievements.”
A new crop of junior skaters is set to hit the international stages next season, with many of this year′s junior stars moving up to the senior level beginning with the 2019-2020 season.
PRESS CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS
2019 RUSSIAN NATIONALS