Losing Ukrainian figure skaters refuse to acknowledge Russians on their victory

Ukrainian figure skaters Violetta Serova and Ivan Khobta have declined to congratulate the Russian couple competing for Georgia, Anastasia Metelkina and Luka Berulava. The awkward moment between Russians and Ukrainians happened at the Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating in Budapest, on September 24, as per the Ukrainian news channel, NEXTA TV.  

What happened at the Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating

The brief encounter between the respective contestants took place after the Russians won the Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating. Athletes from Ukraine rejected the proposed hug from the Russian athletes. During the award ceremony, the Russian couple was seen approaching the podium, where there was already a duo from Ukraine. However, the Ukrainian athletes refused to acknowledge their Russian counterparts. 

The whole video was captured by the local news channel of Ukraine and was shared on the social media platform. After the rejection from the Ukrainian couple, the Russian couple went to their dedicated position on the podium. There has been no reaction from any of the duet participants after the awkward incident.

While talking about this incident at the Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating, Honored Coach of Russia Tatyana Tarasova said that figure skaters from Ukraine should be disqualified for violating the rules of conduct at competitions. Further, she added that the issue will be resolved. Notably, athletes from Georgia, Anastasia Metelkina and Luka Berulava, have been trained in Russia with figure skater Pavel Slyusarenko.

Previously, Ukrainian sabre fencer Olga Kharlan mentioned that she had experienced difficulties after the scandal with Russian rival Anna Smirnova at the World Championships. She was disqualified after she refused to shake her opponent’s hand, Anna Smirnova in the 1/32 finals of the World Championship, on July 27. Later she considered retiring from the sport.