“There was a completely outrageous situation generated by the environment of Tutberdize”

Announcing the suspension of her career, Alina Zagitova could hardly imagine what a grandiose scandal this would lead to. Very quickly, the figure of the 17-year-old Olympic champion faded into the background, and her coach Eteri Tutberidze, legendary specialist and commentator Tatyana Tarasova and Evgeni Plushenko came to the fore. Over time, a considerable number of people became involved in the correspondence conflict, and even the presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov was asked the corresponding question. He advised him to go to the Russian Figure Skating Federation, but they also preferred to distance themselves from the situation.

“The scandal surrounding the suspension of a career by skater Alina Zagitova was created artificially, the FFKKR will not take part in it,” cites the head of the federation, Alexander Gorshkov, “Echo of Moscow”.

In turn, the Director-General of the FFKKR Alexander Kogan emphasized that there was no talk of ending his career with Zagitovy. He noted that she, like any athlete, has the right "not to participate in any kind of competition." But the famous Russian sports journalist Vasily Utkin admitted that he does not believe in Alina’s return to big sport.

“This is a departure. I can call a spade a spade. She lost. If it hurts someone, then he, hurt, will survive. I did not offend anyone with this word. And if it turns out that I was mistaken, I will be the first to applaud the new title of Zagitova, ”Utkin said.

At the same time, the journalist expressed the opinion that in this situation the feeling of “hatred” comes from Tutberidze and her entourage.

“It often happens that a talented person who achieves great success, who seeks full recognition in the profession, is in fact distinguished by completely inappropriate human qualities. I want to say that in figure skating and everything that happens around him, there is a completely outrageous situation generated by the environment of Tutherdize. Hatred comes from there. See how the Eteri group responds, which is written on its Instagram. This is sowing absolute hatred, ”Utkin added.

Finally, he stood up for Tarasova and called her the voice of Russian figure skating. According to him, Tutberidze "behind her" allegedly demanded to remove the coach from working on Channel One.

“Tarasova is the best commentator on Russian TV, recognized by the television community last year when the World Cup was held. The best Russian commentator, the voice of Russian figure skating Tatyana Tarasova, can be suspended from work due to the actions of people driven by hatred, ”Utkin concluded.

Again supported Tarasova and another famous sports journalist Dmitry Guberniev, who stood up for her the day before. He spoke negatively about creating a petition for removing her from the ether.

"Friends! Here comes the heat around Tat! Tatyana Tarasova and I have known each other for a million years, the three of us, together with Oleg Tabakov, commented on the opening of the 2006 Olympic Games in Turin. We had different situations, we quarreled and reconciled, maintaining invariable respect for each other. Now many criticize Tarasova, but I want to support her! She is a commentator that evokes real, genuine emotions. You can love or hate Tarasov, most importantly, there are no indifferent! Freedom to Tatyana Tarasova! Annoyance is a pleasant emotion, ”the commentator wrote on Instagram.

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A post shared by Dmitry Guberniev (@guberniev_dmitry) on Dec 17, 2019 at 5:49 am PST

Perhaps the most accurate comment on the scandal erupted by the American journalist Philip Hersh.

“In all the confusion with the participation of leading figures in figure skating in Russia, the only public person who behaves with dignity, maturity and restraint is 17-year-old Alina Zagitova, whose decision to take a break in performances led to an adult social media war,” Posted by Hirsch on Twitter.

In all the mudslinging by principals in the RUS figure skating world, the one person acting publicly with dignity, maturity and restraint is the 17-year-old, Alina Zagitova, whose decision to take a break from competition touched off the (anti) social media war among adults.

- Philip Hersh (@olyphil) December 16, 2019

“Zagitova needs a pause to think about”

As for the colleagues of the Olympic champion, they continue to express words of support to Zagitova. So, the famous domestic loner Arthur Dmitriev emphasized that only Alina herself can decide whether she needs to continue her career. At the same time, he attributed a grand scandal to the topic of show business rather than figure skating.

“This is not worth the discussion. As for Zagitova, after a career is suspended, it is always difficult to resume it. Even a new Olympic cycle without a pause is difficult to start, but she did it. And last year, and this Alina rode very decently, but, apparently, she needs a break to think. Surely she discusses all issues with the coach, and this is their joint decision. She is a great athlete, all professionals treat her with respect, and there is not a single person who could accuse her of having once or somewhere not fought or surrendered, ”RIA Novosti quotes Dmitrieva.

Supported by Zagitova and the Japanese skater, world champion Miki Ando. She also noted the efforts of the Russian woman and said that she tried to develop as a skater even after the victory in Pyeongchang, despite all the difficulties and serious competition from younger compatriots.

“She managed to overcome both physical and moral obstacles. She is gorgeous. As a rule, athletes after winning the Olympics and the World Cup no longer need anything else. They have achieved the goal, and that goes without saying. Alina showed that she is an excellent athlete, because, despite the desire to pause, she continued to fight this season at the Grand Prix. I was not able to win the Olympics, but I respect her decision and support her in this, ”Ando said.

At the same time, the Japanese woman refused to acknowledge as a problem the fact that very young girls dominate in female figure skating.

“Now the era of quadruple jumps has come. All are placed in very harsh conditions. But even in my time it was believed that without triple victory is impossible. Athletes must accept the time at which they were born and the requirements that it makes. I became a world champion at the age of 19. Perhaps Alina will continue to perform in the show or return to the big sport. But in any case, I believe that it will become stronger when it finds a psychological and hormonal balance. I think she will be fine. The main thing is that Alina does not forget about her love for skiing, ”Ando added.

In turn, the two-time Olympic medalist, and now a sports psychologist Elizaveta Kozhevnikova, suggested that she might be behind Zagitova’s decision to suspend her career. The specialist expressed the opinion that the skater may now be in a “depressive or sub-depressive state” due to overwhelming stress.

“Imagine yourself in her place: she's 17, she starts to lose, and behind is a whole crowd of younger athletes who have three to four years ahead of an effective career. This is a loss situation. Losses of effectiveness, stability and generally habitual way of life. If a person has internal resources, he experiences this loss more or less calmly. This is the psychology of a deprived person, when a person grows up with the feeling that he is bad in himself, and the only way to prove his “goodness” is to show the result, ”Kozhevnikova quotes Sport-Express.

She also explained the conflict between Tutberidze, Tarasova, Plushenko and other confrontations between the two training systems.

“In fact, this is a confrontation between the apologists of“ green ”sports and the proponents of the“ result at any cost ”approach. There is nothing new for Russia in this. This is perhaps the main gestalt of our sport, which finally exploded. The preconditions for this have been formed all the time lately in many sports, ”Kozhevnikova added.

According to the former skater Anna Semenovich, who, after leaving sports, made a successful career in show business, for Zagitova, everything is just beginning.

“Alina is an Olympic champion in figure skating, not an actress or singer. Therefore, she, perhaps, as some have noted, does not yet know how to stay in front of cameras. But she is only 17 years old, Alina is still a child. At her age, you can start anything and learn everything, ”Semenovich quotes the 360 ​​channel.