Russian Figure Skater Stopped From Holding Master Class in Sweden Over 'Values Conflict'

Russian figure skating star Alexandra Trusova had hoped to visit to Sweden in order to take part in a youth training program, but instead found herself 'cancelled' by local authorities.

The local sports association Djurgården's IF referred to a “values conflict” in its explanation, despite the fact that 18-year-old Trusova had never made any political statements.

“The Swedish Figure Skating Association called on Djurgården's IF to immediately cancel the activity Master Class planned on August 27-28, 2022 in Husby ice hall with Russian figure skater Alexandra Trusova, because it conflicts with the the association's core values and risks seriously damaging Swedish figure skating”, the organization wrote in a public letter.

Somewhat ironically, Djurgården's IF said that their vision is to “enable all children and young people to practice the sport regardless of background, ethnicity or financial conditions” and emphasized that figure skating is for “everyone”.

More than 80 percent of tickets for the event had been sold weeks in advance.

The decision to cancel an obviously non-political event sparked outrage.

“Honestly, I'm not surprised. This is no longer about sports, but about politics. But the fact is that Swedish figure skating, which maintains a miserable level, is missing out on a great opportunity to get help from one of the sport's biggest stars. The Swedish confederation doesn't understand that. Or they do, but yielded to the pressure from outside,” multiple world champion and 2002 Olympic gold winner Alexei Yagudin wrote in a Telegram post.

“I can only sympathize with Swedish figure skating fans. They won't see Sasha Trusova, who could give them a new impetus to the development of the sport in their country,” Alexander Kogan, Director General of the Russian Figure Skating Federation, told Russian media.

Alexandra Trusova, who celebrated her 18th birthday last month, won the silver medal in the 2022 Olympics in Beijing in the women's singles figure skating championship.

'Russian Athletes Victims of US Hybrid War', Journo Says as CAS Hears Russian Appeal on Football Ban

5 July 2022, 16:07 GMT

In the wake of Moscow's operation to protect the inhabitants of Russian-speaking Donbass from Kiev's atrocities, Russian athletes have seen blanket bans in a number of sports associations, ranging from football basketball and track-and-field to ice hockey, skating and skiing, despite vocal pledges that sport remains above politics and should serve a means of bridging gaps between nations.

A wave of similarly indiscriminate bans and cancellations has affected Russian cultural luminaries, with museums and film festivals removing Russian entries from their respective programs. Sometimes, the “Cancel Russia” movement reaches outright ludicrous levels, such as National Gallery's attempt to rename the “Russian Dancers” painting by Edgar Degas “Ukrainian Dancers” – a decision widely slammed as an act of Russophobia.