Long time lurker here, zero skills at quotes.
Tinami, your explication of Mishin’s comparison between the council’s vote and Pasternak’s experience is quite interesting, and provides a rare glimpse (for me) into another culture’s mindset.
May I ask—who, or what set of factors, do you believe determines the current ‘party line’ in the esoteric world of figure skating?
Such situation don’t require a “party line”, it is universal and happens in any structure where there is a hierarchy and an issue to vote on. The top tier has its own agenda and tries to influence the lower tier. If the lower tier has nothing personal to lose, they are not much concerned with the fairness of the vote, and support the top tier’s decision, in order to avoid negative consequences/repercussions to themselves.
Any former Soviet, and now Russian, sports federation’s “party line” was and is “to produce best results, win medals, and make the country proud”.
In the soviet days and until recently good results (medals, quotas, etc.) meant bigger budgets, financial funds for the federation from the Government. Which meant for the officials they can have better salaries, conditions, travel and perks.
The coaches and minor officials played their own games, each pushing their own skaters and agenda, through politics, merits and any means possible, but the Federation's officials main goal was "results" and that meant "to send best skater" in most cases (because their own welfare depended on medals and results).
After 2014 many popular sports started to become more commercialized, and federations started to receive money from private sponsors and corporations, not just from the Government. Figure Skating is more and more popular in Russia since 2014 Olympics, and money and sponsorships are bigger and bigger, and they make demands.
Rostelecom for example, signed a contract for 2018/2019 season, and now a major sponsor of Russian Figure Skating Federation, with official status of “co-partner of the Federation”, which cost them 95.7 million rubles, plus additional 57.7 million rubles, which is 153.4 million rubles (in USD $2,330,000.00) and that’s just officially.
https://rns.online/sports-economy/R...go-kataniya-Rossii-100-mln-rublei-2018-02-26/
Of course, for such money, the sponsor wants “ratings” and ratings often have nothing to do with “merit of the sport”. A scandal, a favorite personality, an intrigue, etc., bring ratings.
In USSR the party line was “make Russia number one in sports, and if you do, you’ll get a car, an apartment, and get to travel abroad”.
Now the party line is, in addition, “make big money from sources other than government”…
... and that's just the "Federation part" since you asked me. There are other interests taking place, that have to do with sponsorship of and investment into a specific athlete, personal egos and games between coaches, journalists, officials, etc..
... good! because The Highest. The Furthest. The Fastest... certainly does not include "TAT politics" and "pushy sponsors"..
