Mark Kondratiuk
In early August, the Russian Figure Skating Federation (RFSF) learned that its skaters would have difficulty entering countries in the European Union/Shengen due to the restrictions in place with respect to recognized vaccines and quarantine requirements from red-flagged nations, of which Russia is one.
The International Skating Union (ISU) issued a communique on Aug. 5, stating it was aware of the problem and would, if possible, reassign skaters who are unable to enter certain countries to other Junior Grand Prix events.
On Aug. 10, the RFSF sent out a press release, stating the following information had been received from the French Ice Sports Federation, which was confirmed by the French Consulate in Moscow.
″In order to combat the spread of coronavirus infection COVID-19, the French government authorities issued a decree according to which the Russian Federation and a number of other countries were assigned to the ″red″ zone. In this regard, all citizens of the Russian Federation who come to France who have not been vaccinated against the coronavirus with an EU-approved vaccine are required to undergo a 10-day quarantine with verification of compliance by the competent French authorities. Citizens of countries from the ″red″ zone vaccinated with vaccines approved in the EU must undergo a seven-day quarantine. Since none of the vaccines used in the Russian Federation have yet been approved in the EU, all Russian citizens are considered unvaccinated.″
The RFSF was also advised that the option of entering France by transiting through another country in the ″green″ zone without a 30-day stay in the transit country is not legal, and any attempt to enter France through a country in the ″green″ zone without having fulfilled the required quarantine may lead not only to a refusal to enter France for these competitions, but also to a possible ban on entry into the Schengen countries in the future.
RFSF president Alexander Gorshkov confirmed that the ISU has agreed to reassign the skaters from the French events to the Junior Grand Prixs in Slovenia and Russia.
He also noted that ″It is also correct that the selection system for the Grand Prix Final will be changed. This was done at our request.″
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