Russian Skaters Allowed to Compete as Neutrals (AIN) to Qualify for 2026 Winter Olympics

[Bigbird]

People (or bots?) are spamming the comments on various posts on the official The Olympic Games Instagram account asking the IOC to allow the Russian dance and pair teams to compete. Look at this post about two badminton players - https://www.instagram.com/p/DJ1Upo4COs7/?img_index=1 and literally all of the comments are like that. Other posts on the account have similar replies and they are using the #Olympicsforall

Seems like bots. But were we genuinely surprised? Will it make a difference one way or the other? The dance world is still waiting for the new V/M or P/C.

 

[olympic]

Watching Stepanova / Bukin compete for 4th place at the Olympics won’t be missed. Thanks. They are not touching Chock / Bates or Gilles / Poirer on a good day, and Guignard / Fabbri likely have an edge in front of a home crowd.

 

[Dobre]

If the bots are busy, then the Russian government is feeling compelled to spend money defending its stupidity. Too bad, so sad.

 

[caseyedwards]

It was very important that k/n try for 20th place and then not compete again until October 2029. Best case scenario k/n qualify in Beijing compete in Milan and then vanish until 2029. What would that Olympics have meant

 

[Vagabond]

If the bots are busy, then the Russian government is feeling compelled to spend money defending its stupidity. Too bad, so sad.

Does this apply to the bots on FSU as well as to those on Instagram?

 

[irenemulindwairen]

Watching Stepanova / Bukin compete for 4th place at the Olympics won’t be missed. Thanks. They are not touching Chock / Bates or Gilles / Poirer on a good day, and Guignard / Fabbri likely have an edge in front of a home crowd.

You are too kind to give them fourth. During the grand prix events prior to Beijing, judges had started to dump them. Also their technique specifically hers is . Their federation really thinks of them as megastars.

 

[Andrey aka Pushkin]

I just saw this video this moment and came here to ask an off topic question for those fluent in Russian. A language I have no knowledge in.

Is Russian Bukin's first language? When Stepanova speaks the words just flow easily and has a beautiful rhythm. Bukin on the other hand sounds the opposite.

Bukin has a slight speech impediment mispronounsing the sound "r", but that's not uncommon.
The articulation is wrong - Alexandra makes pauses at the wrong parts of the sentences, while Ivan overemphasizes everything by pronouncing every word separately. Both mistakes are common for unprofessional speakers who try to express importance of what they are saying. Also, I would be very inclined to say the text was written for them rather than they wrote it themselves; this is how a document would have been written, rather than how normal people speak - and both S/B seem to be uncomfortable reciting it, either because of the camera, or because the form of the text is slightly unnatural for people who don't make official statements all the time.


Here is my severe overanalysis of this video, because just writing "Russian is Bukin's first language" would have been too plain.

 

[skateboy]

​

The Skating Lesson just shared a new post for paid meMiners

I know it's "members," but I'm curious where you saw this post from The Skating Lesson... was it on X (Twitter)? I no longer have that, but I didn't see anything on Facebook. YouTube, or Instagram.

 

[On My Own]

I know it's "members," but I'm curious where you saw this post from The Skating Lesson... was it on X (Twitter)? I no longer have that, but I didn't see anything on Facebook. YouTube, or Instagram.

It will be Patreon.

 

[marbri]

Bukin has a slight speech impediment mispronounsing the sound "r", but that's not uncommon.
The articulation is wrong - Alexandra makes pauses at the wrong parts of the sentences, while Ivan overemphasizes everything by pronouncing every word separately. Both mistakes are common for unprofessional speakers who try to express importance of what they are saying. Also, I would be very inclined to say the text was written for them rather than they wrote it themselves; this is how a document would have been written, rather than how normal people speak - and both S/B seem to be uncomfortable reciting it, either because of the camera, or because the form of the text is slightly unnatural for people who don't make official statements all the time.


Here is my severe overanalysis of this video, because just writing "Russian is Bukin's first language" would have been too plain.

Thanks, your severe over-analysis was perfect for my understanding

 

[Karen-W]

I know it's "members," but I'm curious where you saw this post from The Skating Lesson... was it on X (Twitter)? I no longer have that, but I didn't see anything on Facebook. YouTube, or Instagram.

Probably on Patreon - that's where he posted his live commentary on the Legacy on Ice benefit show that got him into so much trouble once the clip was leaked.

 

[Willin]

You are too kind to give them fourth. During the grand prix events prior to Beijing, judges had started to dump them. Also their technique specifically hers is . Their federation really thinks of them as megastars.

And don't forget they've already been banned from one Olympics (2018) for likely doping or sportsmanship violations of some sort.

Russia loves them but the IOC and ISU definitely don't. I'm sure they'll hate them even more now that Russian fans are bombing their social media posts with coordinated attacks on how "unfair" they are for banning S/B.

 

[caseyedwards]

You are too kind to give them fourth. During the grand prix events prior to Beijing, judges had started to dump them. Also their technique specifically hers is . Their federation really thinks of them as megastars.

This is totally not true!! Even with s/k being the main Russian dance team s/b were first alternates for gpf! They obviously would have won a worlds medal if not for the war! S/k were retired and s/b were next! Obvious multiple world medals likely post Beijing. They were sixth in Beijing too!

 

[withwings]

And don't forget they've already been banned from one Olympics (2018) for likely doping or sportsmanship violations of some sort.

Russia loves them but the IOC and ISU definitely don't. I'm sure they'll hate them even more now that Russian fans are bombing their social media posts with coordinated attacks on how "unfair" they are for banning S/B.

the same coordinated and strategic attacks were on Kaetlyn Osmond before Olympics in fear that she might win; so, as to say to say, prepare a psychological soil in a case if she win

these coordinated attacks are in general all over mass media platforms ( and not only about fs of course) to catch the minds of innocent or naive, to prepare psychological soil. its called modern soviet system under disguise or something else. ja! there never ever will be end of this. never ever.

 

[Vagabond]

Olympic symbols - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

"L'essentiel est de participer. L'important n'est pas de triompher, mais de lutter. L'essentiel n'est pas d'avoir vaincu, mais d'avoir bien combattu.

— Pierre de Coubertin

Stepanova, Bukin, and the Russian sports system as a whole are so stuck on what they perceive as important that they have lost sight of what is truly essential.

 

[On My Own]

I cannot believe the Olympics are a thing with a motto that corny omg

 

[cholla]

I cannot believe the Olympics are a thing with a motto that corny omg

Baron Pierre de Coubertin said this in 1908, more than 1 century ago. The spirit of the "modern Olympic Games" has certainly changed since that.

 

[On My Own]

Baron Pierre de Coubertin said this in 1908, more than 1 century ago. The spirit of the "modern Olympic Games" has certainly changed since that.

The spirit of the Modern Olympic Games has been more like "a dollar for me and a dollar for you, but really only for me".

 

[farahfan]

Baron Pierre de Coubertin said this in 1908, more than 1 century ago. The spirit of the "modern Olympic Games" has certainly changed since that.

tbh I hate the medal tally they do during the Olympics. like, what is the point? that some countries are bigger and wealthier than others?

 

[moebius]

tbh I hate the medal tally they do during the Olympics. like, what is the point? that some countries are bigger and wealthier than others?

US loves to keep track of the medal count b/c they know they'll be in the top 5. Of course, b/c they always have the largest delegation. They have more chances to get medals than the other countries.

 

[Vagabond]

US loves to keep track of the medal count b/c they know they'll be in the top 5. Of course, b/c they always have the largest delegation. They have more chances to get medals than the other countries.

Be that as it may, Norway and Germany usually earn more medals at the Winter Olympics than does the United States. Russia, under its various pseuds, often does so as well, and so does Canada. And the subject of this thread is participation at next year's Winter Olympics, innit?

 

[On My Own]

Well we'll bring it up during the next Summer Olympics when a "moral equivalency" is brought up to pretend brown people were flattened and their countries destabilized for "their own good" and "the entire world's good".

 

[olympic]

You are too kind to give them fourth. During the grand prix events prior to Beijing, judges had started to dump them. Also their technique specifically hers is . Their federation really thinks of them as megastars.

I agree, but I think TPTB were probably fine with the dumping of S/B because through the 2022 Olympics, the RUS fed had IMO the nearly equally as horrible Zhulin-bots, SinKats to stick on the podium, unfortunately. If all things were normal during the last quad, IOW the skating events since 2022, S/B would probably have been politicked up to the podium once or twice.

 

[irenemulindwairen]

Olympic symbols - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Stepanova, Bukin, and the Russian sports system as a whole are so stuck on what they perceive as important that they have lost sight of what is truly essential.

Well said. They are still living in the past.