Here he was not needed by anyone: Evgeni Plushenko spoke about his son's change of citizenship - video
Two-time Olympic champion in figure skating Evgeni Plushenko revealed the reasons why his son Alexander decided to compete for the Azerbaijan national team. As part of preparations for the new season, the young athlete, together with his father, will go to Azerbaijan, where he will hold a two-week training camp.
Evgeni Plushenko openly stated that the main reason for the change of sports citizenship was the lack of prospects and proper attention to the child in his homeland. According to the specialist, in Russia they claimed that Alexander was not coping with internal competition and did not meet the level of local figure skaters, adding that if it were about an ordinary boy, no one would even pay attention to his results.
Father emphasized: "I want the child to start competing. Here he was not needed by anyone, let's say it plainly. They said he does not measure up to our Russian athletes. If he were Ivan Ivanovich Ivanov, no one would even pay attention. He needs to enter the international arena, skate and compete."
The Olympic champion also harshly criticized the current isolation of Russian figure skaters, who in recent years have been forced to limit themselves to the domestic calendar. Plushenko noted: "Traveling to Kirov and Perm is, of course, wonderful, but it is a degradation of our athletes. I am glad that now the Russian Olympic Committee and the Figure Skating Federation of Russia have achieved admission for our athletes. Even if so far one person at a time and adult figure skaters do not participate in the Grand Prix, movement forward has already begun."
