German figure skating coaches criticize the reintroduction of Russian athletes under neutral status

The German coaching icon Knut Schubert has criticized the admission of Russian athletes to international figure skating competitions. “Russia was and still is a great sporting nation and has always been a figure skating nation, but there remains a negative touch,” said the coach of the German pair skating world champions Minerva Hase and Nikita Volodin in Berlin.

Despite the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine that has been going on for four and a half years, Russian figure skaters are allowed to compete again at world championships and Grand Prix competitions under neutral status - i.e. without state symbols such as national flags, national clothing and national anthems.

Schubert expresses a clear opinion

The prerequisite is that the athletes “have not actively and publicly supported this war at any time since February 2022,” the International Ice Skating Union (ISU) said in the summer. The world association thus lifted the ban on active participants and officials that had existed since February 2022.

«I am of the opinion that any country that wages a war of aggression should not be allowed. These countries do not belong in a peaceful sporting movement,” said Schubert.

Kunkel criticizes the timing: “Why now all of a sudden?”

The second top German pair, Annika Hocke and Robert Kunkel, also cannot understand the decision. “I don’t think we both understood the timing. "Why now all of a sudden?" explained Kunkel and added: "Then you could have either stuck to it for the last four years or continued to be consistent with the decision you made four years ago."

The reasons for the exclusion at the time are still relevant, emphasized Kunkel, who won European Championship bronze with Hocke in 2023. In terms of sport, not much has changed for the two of them. “Ice skating is so incredibly dominated by Russians, especially pair skating. We have so many couples who previously ran for Russia, continue to train in Russia and have simply changed nationality.

Olympic bronze medalist Minerva Hase doesn't see much of a difference in terms of sport either. «We will run against the couples who are there. This is seen regardless of which country or area they come from. It's not our job to make decisions," said the 27-year-old, who has been on the ice with the Russian-born Volodin in international competitions since the 2023/2024 season. In March, the world-class duo celebrated gold at the World Cup for the first time, and a month earlier they won bronze at the Olympics.