The Little-Noticed Demise of Figure Skating in Azerbaijan

[Vagabond]

I'm curious as to what the results would have been if not only everyone had skated cleanly, but if the event took place in Azerbaijan....

This post in Sybil's thread in The Trash Can prompted me to do a little searching on the subject of figure skating in Azerbaijan. I came across this article from last year: Skating on thin ice – a sport that has ceased to exist in Azerbaijan.

Apparently, a figure skating rink opened in a sports complex in Baku in the early 1990's but fell into disrepair about three years later!

Rafiq Behbuodv, the director whose office was “stormed” by fourteen-year-old Nargiz, still runs the sports complex, which is now called the Heydar Aliyev Sports and Concert Complex.

By 2015, it was thoroughly repaired, and now competitions in various sports and large industrial exhibitions are held here.

There is also talk of restoring the rink, but this has yet to come to fruition: because to maintain a professional ice rink is troublesome and expensive, and figure skating is too uncharacteristic for Azerbaijan to invest much in the sport.

As a result, Azerbaijan does not have its own figure skaters, and the country is represented at the international championships by foreign sponsored athletes.

The official website for the Heydar Aliyev Arena states:

The complex also includes ice hockey and figure skating halls.

There is no indication, however, that the rink is in operation.

Article 6, Section 3(b)(ix) of the ISU Constitution requires ISU Members to have

in existence in the country one or more actively operating natural or artificial ice rinks of a size adequate to practice the respective ISU sport discipline.

It appears that the ISU has never bothered verifying whether Azerbaijan has an "actively operating" rink, at least not since the one in Baku closed more than twenty-five years ago.

I wonder whether anyone at the ISU ever reads the threads here.

 

[greenapple]

Ekaterina Ryabova's bio lists her as the 2019 Azerbaijani champion so I wonder how that could be if there are no rinks in the country?

The headline of a story written last year states there is an ice hockey federation but there is no ice.

 

[Sylvia]

ISU Communication 2065, dated 9 November 2020, has the ISU Members list updated as of November 2020:

THE SKATING FEDERATION OF AZERBAIJAN REPUBLIC (Figure Skating Member)
AZE Address: AZ-1072, 4 Olympic street, Baku
Telefax: (+994) 12 465 64 38
Telephone: (+994) 50 309 33 39
E-mail: [email protected]
President: Khalilov Iskander, Mr
General Secretary: Mammadov Ramin, Mr

Maybe someone can try emailing a couple of pertinent questions?

 

[Vagabond]

Ekaterina Ryabova's bio lists her as the 2019 Azerbaijani champion so I wonder how that could be if there are no rinks in the country?

Here's what happened at 2019 Azerbaijani Nationals.

 

[Tee]

That federation is a joke. Apparently these skaters pay tens of thousands of dollars to represent Azerbaijan.

 

[Tee]

Azerbaijan Skaters pay for citizenship although they don’t meet the legal citizenship requirements or any residency requirements that all the others members federation abide by. What a corrupt federation!

 

[caseyedwards]

Ekaterina Ryabova's bio lists her as the 2019 Azerbaijani champion so I wonder how that could be if there are no rinks in the country?

The headline of a story written last year states there is an ice hockey federation but there is no ice.

I thought I read with regard to Mongolia that A federation can just name a champion

 

[Tee]

I thought I read with regard to Mongolia that A federation can just name a champion

Perhaps.. but greater issue is the illegal and unethical nature their skaters are selected to represent the country.. that is totally separate and on top of the fact that Azerbaijan may not even meet the requirements to be a legal member of ISU according to its own rules for membership

 

[ks1227]

Memories of Julia Vorobieva ...

 

[Brenda_Bottems]

I will faint if I read about any more blatant corruption this evening.

Admittedly I prefer the Soviet Union era. They all used to represent one nation. Now they represent Russia,Azerbaijan,Belarussia et cetera.

-BB

 

[Vagabond]

I will faint if I read about any more blatant corruption this evening.

Here you go: www.nytimes.com/2020/11/24/us/coast-guard-test-score-scheme.html?searchResultPosition=1

Totally off topic, but faint-inducing.

 

[Brenda_Bottems]

Here you go: www.nytimes.com/2020/11/24/us/coast-guard-test-score-scheme.html?searchResultPosition=1

Totally off topic, but faint-inducing.

Fainting shall not commence until cocktail time begins, dear.

-BB

 

[Tee]

I thought I read with regard to Mongolia that A federation can just name a champ

 

[Tee]

It appears that several of Azerbaijan skaters are currently assembled in Belarus .. is this where they train? Or could they be having their “national championships” ?

 

[Brenda_Bottems]

Phil Hersh needs to investigate this sham of a federation immediately.

-BB