The Executive Committee of the Figure Skating Federation of Russia supported the transfer of Diana Davis and Gleb Smolkin to the Georgian national team - The head coach of the Russian national team, Elena Tchaikovskaya, tells the media.
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“We haven’t received an application from Davis and Smolkin themselves regarding the transfer, but a release came from Georgia on May 22 with a request to allow the transition.
We discussed the matter, and on May 25, the Executive Committee Bureau decided to release them. They haven’t participated in any tournament for a year and a half since the Olympics; no funds were spent on them. They would not return to Russia, so we released them,” Tchaikovskaya stated.
20-year-old Diana Davis is the daughter of an honorary Russian coach of Georgian origin – Eter Tutberidze. She has US citizenship. Her partner, Gleb Smolkin, is the son of a Russian actor, Boris Smolkin. The duo is a silver medalist in the 2021-22 Russian championship. At the 2022 Beijing Olympics, they competed under the Russian flag and took 14th place. They are currently training in the United States.
By joining the Georgian national team, the pair of Davis and Smolkin will get a chance to participate in international competitions.
Following the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, on March 1st, the International Skating Union (ISU) and the rest of the international sporting bodies banned Russian athletes from competing in international tournaments. Many athletes renounced Russian citizenship and continued to compete on behalf of other nations.
On June 9-11, the meeting of the ISU Council will be held, where the issue of admission of athletes from Russia and Belarus will be put on the table. The Ukrainian Figure Skating Federation called on the ISU to keep the ban on Russian skaters in force until the end of the war.
The Figure Skating Federation of Georgia withholds from commenting on this matter. Responding to the journalist's question, Minister of Justice Rati Bregadze stated that in the case of Russian athletes applying for Georgian citizenship, the Ministry will “carry out appropriate administrative work”, and the final decision is the prerogative of the President.
