The successful performances of the Russians at the Grand Prix in figure skating faded into the background after the conflict, in the center of which was the Olympic champion in 2002 Alexei Yagudin. A petition appeared on the Internet addressed to the Director General of Channel One Konstantin Ernst demanding to remove the ex-athlete from commenting.
“Spectators have repeatedly noted incorrect, tactless and boorish statements regarding American Jason Brown, Russian athlete Mikhail Kolyada or Latvian figure skater Denis Vasiliev. We believe that Aleksey should not have such an opportunity to carry his opinion to the masses, setting up an inexperienced spectator against strong and worthy athletes, ”the petition says.
As an example of Yagudin’s misbehavior on the air, his comment is given at the Las Vegas Grand Prix stage, in which he stated that Brown was “only lifting his legs.” In addition, a screenshot of the post of the former skater on Instagram is attached to the appeal, where he thanks the Russian Sergey Voronov for not allowing the American to enter the tournament finals.
View this Instagram post
Out of NHK! @aliona_officialnew 🥇 @aleksandrastepanova @ivan_bukin_ 🥈 @a_gallyam @nastia_ice 🥉 @ azagitova 🥉 thanks everyone !!!! And Ahead is Italy, ahead is Turin, ahead is the Grand Prix Final ❗️ we will hold the fists for all 🙏PS And yet, thank you very much @sergeyvoronov for the fact that my “beloved” Jason Brown didn’t make it to the final, otherwise it would be 🤦♂️❗️❗️❗️ # finale # turin # stepanova # bukin # kostornaya # glechenhaus # tutberidze # galliamov # mishina # sport # japan # ravens # ice # kostorna # zagitova
Publication by Alexei Yagudin (@ alexei.yagudin) Nov 23, 2019 at 6:16 PST
The author of the petition emphasized that Yagudin is a public figure whose ambiguous statements can provoke conflict situations in a community of fans, athletes and the media.
“As fans not of athletes, but of sport and its values, we believe and hope that there will be a person on the post of commentator who combines professionalism with wisdom and respect for all skaters without exception,” he concluded.
At the moment, the letter has gained more than 1,200 signatures. Dissatisfied with the actions of the ex-athlete, users of social networks leave negative comments under his posts on Instagram. Interestingly, in addition to Russian-speaking fans of figure skating, a large number of foreigners turned to Yagudin with a similar position. At the same time, some hold a different point of view.
“Yagudin is an excellent athlete and a great commentator, has the right to personal opinion and ratings. Whoever has not matured, let him grow, ”wrote one of the fans.
On the side of Yagudin stood his colleagues. The famous trainer Tatyana Tarasova, paired with whom the ex-skater commented on several stages of the Grand Prix, noted his professionalism.
“There are fans who love us and do not like us. Everyone has a different opinion. And the devil knows how to fire me. Yagudin is a professional person, he quite objectively says what he considers necessary and correct. Alexei is an Olympic champion and multiple world champion. I say thank you very much to the fans for watching and love us, but they don’t yet appoint a job, thank God, ”Sport24 quotes Tarasova.
Perplexity about the incident was also expressed by the 2002 world champion choreographer Ilya Averbukh. He suggested that in this way some fans try to attract attention.
“Absolute bullshit, Alex - a great commentator. They had an excellent tandem with Tatyana Anatolyevna Tarasova. This concussion has no basis and is inflated by certain people, ”the Championship choreographer quoted as saying.
At the moment, the leadership of Channel One has not responded to the request of the audience. As for Yagudin himself, he also made official statements on this subject, only responding to some comments under his posts. In addition, he spoke about the growth in the number of subscribers, which coincided with the publication of a statement about Brown.
“Saturday, it was a good day. Everyone hates, but subscribe. Thank you! ”Wrote the ex-skater.
It is worth noting that the main "claim" of Yagudin to the American is the lack of quadruple jumps in his numbers. Last season, commenting on the men's tournament at the World Cup, the expert was outraged by the high ratings that Brown received for the short program. Later, he noted several times that an athlete whose arsenal contains only an axel of three and a half turns, should not rely on the same points as rivals with more complex programs. A similar criticism went to Vasiliev.