Article: Lubov Iliushechkina wants to skate for France, but...

[Sylvia]

I thought this article translation deserved its own thread in GSD (ETA: refer to post #191 and following in the "Russia With Love - 2012 Off Season" thread):

http://fs66.ru/news/2012-05-17/chemp...zhdanstvo.html

Lubov Iliushechkina wants to skate for France

President of Russian figure skating federation Alexander Gorshkov told at the executive committee meeting that on April 6th he received a letter from Iliushechkina, written in English, in which she asked to let her skate for France with a partner whom she found via Internet. His first reaction was negative: "We invested so much creative effort and finances in her that it would be unthinkable to just "present" her to France, especially two years before the Olympics".

Iliushechkina's father came to Alexander Gorshkov and Valentin Piseev and brought with him her diaries that shocked even Piseev, who has seen a lot in his lifetime. As Piseev told at the meeting, the diaries provided the evidence that the situation in Natalia Pavlova's group was completely abnormal and Iliushechkina was even close to suicide attempt at some point.

It made Gorshkov change his personal attitude to the situation. RFSF is ready to offer Iliushechkina another partner (whose name is not known yet), and the famous coach Tamara Moskvina is willing to work with her. But Iliushechkina refuses all the offers and continues to train with the partner she found on the Internet. If she continues to decline all the offers from RFSF, Gorshkov is inclined to make her sit out two years and release her only after the Olympics.

"We don't want another Anissina", - explains the president of RFSF.

(I assume Yannick Kocon is the French pair skater - he previously skated for Italy with Nicole Della Monica at the 2010 Olympics.)

[care bear]

According to last "Pirouette" she wants to skate with Kocon.

[Eislauffan]

According to last "Pirouette" she wants to skate with Kocon.

Yes, she confirmed that she is training with Yannick Kocon. But I don't know where and under which coach.

[IceIceBaby]

"We don't want another Anissina" Just like they would have a realistic chance to win a medal in Sochi.

I hope Lubov can represent France, skate with her new parter and be happy!

I wonder if Natalia Pavlova has commented this yet.

[l'etoile]

But the situation here is not that simple. Sure, Anissina was able to switch the nationality to skate in olympics but back then after the breakup with Averbuch she was sort of neglected by russian federation which forced her to find the partner on her own. Now they're all for to keep her in Russia and seemingly willing to support her at their best. I feel extremely sorry for tha gal really but I don't think Russia will ever allow her compete for France.

The Part that worries me is where the article talks about her suicide attempt. They 'd better get her to psychiatrist right away

[Ziggy]

I feel extremely sorry for tha gal really but I don't think Russia will ever allow her compete for France.

She will be able to, after two years have passed, no?

[Vagabond]

Iliushechkina's father came to Alexander Gorshkov and Valentin Piseev and brought with him her diaries that shocked even Piseev, who has seen a lot in his lifetime. As Piseev told at the meeting, the diaries provided the evidence that the situation in Natalia Pavlova's group was completely abnormal and Iliushechkina was even close to suicide attempt at some point.

I find this disturbing on so many levels, but most of all that Piseev would reveal that Iliushechkina had suicidal thoughts.

"We don't want another Anissina", - explains the president of RFSF.

And yet he had no compunction about Tatiana Volozhar.

(And, yes, I know that the Ukrainian Federation was willing to release her, but I do recall rumors that one of the reasons was that its Russian counterpart paid it off to secure the release.)

Iliushechkina & Kocon

[Zemgirl]

Yes, she confirmed that she is training with Yannick Kocon. But I don't know where and under which coach.

Does he need to be released by Italy?

[l'etoile]

She will be able to, after two years have passed, no?

In theory, I think so. There's a limit how much russia can push/put off. If Iliushechkina is looking ahead for Pyeongchang, she might be able to. But those two years of waiting and endurance won't go by easy for her or her partner.

[Cherub721]

If Lubov gets citizenship from France (which she will need anyway if she wants to compete in Sochi), does that mean she does not need to be released by Russia?

How long did it take Marina to get French citizenship? She and Gwendal competed at Euros and Worlds in 1994, but not the Olympics, so it must have taken her until Nagano to get it?

I feel awful for Lubov, first of all going through whatever it was and then having it made public. I do understand the Russian fed's position... for so many years they lost a lot of "their" skaters/coaches to other countries and now they're trying not to repeat those mistakes. And it's not like they're asking her to just sit around and wait, they've given her a good offer with Moskvina. I wonder if they would let Kocon come and represent Russia (maybe he could get released by Italy to Russia) and have them be coached by Moskvina... that would be

[Ziggy]

If Lubov gets citizenship from France (which she will need anyway if she wants to compete in Sochi), does that mean she does not need to be released by Russia?

I can't imagine that happening and even if it did, she'd still need to be released, IIRC.

I wonder if they would let Kocon come and represent Russia (maybe he could get released by Italy to Russia) and have them be coached by Moskvina... that would be

Why when there are many better Russian prospective partners?

And the whole point of this - as I understand it - is that after whatever has happened to Ilushechkina, she wants to get as far away from the Russian Fed as possible. :/

[Wyliefan]

Holy cow. That poor girl.

[Libertango]

Does he need to be released by Italy?

Yannick Kocon is French. I assume he still has both citizenship.
He skated for France as a single skater until 2007 (even went to Jr worlds IIRC) then was released by France to skate pairs for Italy. His last competition was in 2010 so I don't know if he needs to be released or if he can switch back to France.

[victoriaheidi]

I feel awful for Lubov, first of all going through whatever it was and then having it made public. I do understand the Russian fed's position... for so many years they lost a lot of "their" skaters/coaches to other countries and now they're trying not to repeat those mistakes. And it's not like they're asking her to just sit around and wait, they've given her a good offer with Moskvina. I wonder if they would let Kocon come and represent Russia (maybe he could get released by Italy to Russia) and have them be coached by Moskvina... that would be

I think the key point is that Lubov does not want to skate for Russia after whatever the poor girl's been through. She wants a fresh start in a more positive environment.

I can't even imagine what happened, and it wasn't appropriate for them to say that she was in such a bad position.

[Zemgirl]

Yannick Kocon is French. I assume he still has both citizenship.
He skated for France as a single skater until 2007 (even went to Jr worlds IIRC) then was released by France to skate pairs for Italy. His last competition was in 2010 so I don't know if he needs to be released or if he can switch back to France.

Thus my confusion . What happens when a skater switches federations - and then wants to switch back?

[Eislauffan]

Thus my confusion . What happens when a skater switches federations - and then wants to switch back?

The skater can switch back but has to observe any possible waiting period. Italy would need to release him, too, but he doesn't need to wait as he didn't compete for Italy in the past two seasons.

Since he still holds French citizenship (I assume) maybe he doesn't even need the release.

[kwanfan1818]

This was a very clever move on Gorshkov's part. If released publicly from Iliushenchkina's side,, the diaries could have been explosive and there could have been calls to investigate Pavlova's rink and to release Iliushechkina immediately.

This way, he took the initiative and could spin it the way he wanted, and he took a page out of the Cinquanta SLC playbook and came up with a proactive solution that brushes aside serious issues and makes the Russian Fed looked concerned and generous: they will give her a new partner -- although I'd love to know exactly who this world-class skater they've been hiding is -- and send her to Moskvina, who knows how to deal with traumatized female pairs skaters. At the same time, she looks hysterical, impulsive, and ready to give up the fatherland, and Pavlova is on record as saying she tried to talk to Iliushenchkina about her eating, but she couldn't do anything if her skater was in denial and resisted. (I hope LI can contact Suzuki.)

Very clever damage control.

She'd has no shot at Sochi in Russia, and she'd be dependent on the Russian Fed for GP host picks and Senior B's over the two seasons she'd be sitting out waiting for a release. The Russian Fed paying for everything is the advantage of taking them up on their offer, but she'd be more likely to help France in the team event post Sochi.

Her last international competition was NHK in November 2011; with a release she could start international competitions for France as soon as this Fall. France could apply for an exception under Rule 109 Paragraph 5 if Russia won't release her for two seasons (2.5 years from her last competition. Whether it would be worth it to the French Fed to take on the Russian Fed that way is questionable, but it might be tempting since France has two reliably strong disciplines, Dance and Men, and Iliushechkina/Kocon could mean not taking an automatic last in Pairs.

[bardtoob]

If Lubov gets citizenship from France (which she will need anyway if she wants to compete in Sochi), does that mean she does not need to be released by Russia?

Russian citizenship has different obligations than other countries' citizenship, and those obligations persistent until one can "prove the absence of Russian citizenship".

[kwanfan1818]

Is one of those obligations to represent one's country in sport?

[Aussie Willy]

Quite disturbing. I hope at the end of the day she can do what she wants.