Fetisov: ISU trying to force Russian skaters to submit
Olympic champion Vyacheslav Fetisov says the ISU is mocking Russian skaters after barring Valieva, Kondratyuk, Stepanova and Bukin from neutral status.
Vyacheslav Fetisov, the two-time Olympic hockey champion and State Duma deputy, has accused the International Skating Union of trying to force Russian figure skaters into submission after the governing body barred four of them from neutral-status competition.
The ISU ruled that Kamila Valieva, Mark Kondratyuk, Aleksandra Stepanova and Ivan Bukin do not meet the criteria to compete as neutral athletes. Valieva and Kondratyuk previously held neutral status; it has now been withdrawn. Stepanova and Bukin were refused it outright.
"ISU is not afraid of competition, they are simply mocking us. Competition is what fills stadiums and creates opportunities to earn money. So I don't think that is the main motive. They want to put us on our knees, so that we then agree to white [neutral] flags, all sorts of additional conditions and so on. I see no other reason for our figure skaters being barred from international competitions," Fetisov said.
From the 2026/2027 season the ISU is set to admit Russian figure skaters to international tournaments under neutral status. Russian athletes have largely been absent from the sport since 2022, with the exception of Adeliya Petrosyan and Pyotr Gumennik, who each finished sixth at the Olympics in Italy.
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