Fear and Fury on Ice: The Most Explosive International Scandals Involving Domestic Figure Skaters

Scandals and controversies are an everyday reality in sports. Football and hockey fields frequently turn into battlegrounds. Many believe figure skating to be a calm, almost aristocratic sport. But nothing could be further from the truth!

Figure skating is arguably the most beautiful and elegant sport. Delicate young women and poised young men perform such graceful moves on ice that they captivate not only the audience but also some envious rivals eager to eliminate strong competitors. Sometimes, the competition turns into a political game, with athletes becoming pawns in larger conflicts.

One such incident occurred during the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. In the pairs competition, several top contenders emerged. The main favorites for gold were Russians Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze, and Canadians Jamie Salé and David Pelletier.

After Salé and Pelletier lost the short program, the Russian pair’s victory seemed certain. However, the Canadians were not satisfied with the silver medal and fought fiercely to claim the top spot. According to insiders, during a rehearsal before the final performance, Jamie deliberately pushed the Russian pair warming up nearby. Fortunately, no injuries occurred, and both pairs completed their routines. Yet, the tension lingered.
Berezhnaya and Sikharulidze skated first with brilliance. Judges noted only a minor slip during a double Axel, where the skater landed on both feet. The Canadians then delivered a flawless routine. Most referees believed the Russians deserved the gold, but the Canadians refused to accept the results. Salé and Pelletier insisted the victory should be theirs.

After extensive reviews, threats (one judge was even attacked and pressured to sign a statement claiming she voted for Berezhnaya and Sikharulidze under duress, according to Woman.ru), and accusations of reigniting a "Cold War," it was decided to award gold medals to both pairs. A second medal ceremony was held to honor this resolution.

Fortunately, this story had a relatively happy ending. Other episodes were far more serious and frightening. Sometimes, passions in figure skating flare so intensely that the ice seems to melt.

"The Silent Scandal": Irina Rodnina and Alexander Zaitsev, 1973

In 1972, Soviet figure skating star Irina Rodnina partnered with the then lesser-known Alexander Zaitsev. They quickly gelled and won the European Championship in Cologne in February 1973, receiving perfect scores from all ten judges. They rightfully took home the gold. The following month, they competed at the World Figure Skating Championships in Bratislava, where their performance nearly ended in disaster.

Midway through their routine, the music abruptly stopped. Such an event would unsettle anyone, and by rules, they were allowed to finish their program. However, the Soviet pair continued flawlessly in complete silence. The audience, stunned by their composure and professionalism, gave a standing ovation. The judges awarded them gold medals.

The incident sparked outrage worldwide, with journalists suspecting sabotage against the USSR, allegedly retaliation for the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968. Officially, the music disruption was blamed on technical issues due to power supply problems.

Years later, another controversial version emerged. Figure skater Lyudmila Smirnova suggested the tape was stopped intentionally mid-routine because Rodnina and Zaitsev’s program was imperfect and out of sync with the music.

Former partner Alexei Ulanov shared a similar view. He recalled that before the championship, their coach promised Rodnina would win gold with her new partner. However, Zaitsev struggled under pressure, and the coach allegedly arranged for the music to be stopped mid-performance as a tactical move. Ulanov mentioned this in a 2010 interview with Nevskoye Vremya.

Despite many years passing, the true cause of this scandal remains a mystery.

Losing Oneself: Yulia Antipova’s Battle with Anorexia

Until 2012, Yulia Antipova competed successfully in singles figure skating but switched to pairs that spring, partnering with Nodari Maisuradze. They skated together until 2014, but behind the scenes, the teenage athlete endured severe suffering to meet her coaches' demanding expectations. Alarm bells rang when Yulia was hospitalized with extreme exhaustion, weighing only 55 pounds (25 kilograms), visibly wasting away.

In September 2014, it became public that Yulia was being treated for anorexia. She was so weak she couldn’t eat independently and received nutrients intravenously. Her parents blamed intense training and coaches for her condition. Coach Artur Dmitriev claimed he had long urged Yulia’s parents to hospitalize her and focus on her health, noting she grew lighter with every training session.

• Star Athletes and Eating Disorders: The Dark Side of Pursuing the Perfect Body

After some recovery, Yulia spoke candidly to the press, revealing that her first coach, Natalia Pavlova, had imposed strict ultimatums: either lose weight and comply or return to singles skating. Yulia began losing weight, dropping to 79 pounds (36 kilograms), after which her health declined rapidly. She described the psychological trauma of constantly fearing the scale’s numbers and obsessively weighing herself every 20 minutes.

"By the time we went to training camp in Sochi after the World Championships, I weighed only around 64 pounds (29 kilograms), a mere skeleton. The coach told my parents to take me away. They abandoned me like a kitten by the scruff of the neck. I was only 16," Yulia told NTV.

Yulia also revealed that her later coach, Artur Dmitriev, put her on a harsh diet that left her with insufficient energy. Her daily meals consisted of a small amount of cottage cheese and tea in the morning, meat or vegetables at lunch, and only a few cucumbers or tomatoes for dinner.

"Training with full intensity, such nutrition is clearly inadequate. Vitamins and micronutrients are essential for a balanced diet! I felt my strength draining away, not just fat," she told Sovetsky Sport.

Yulia considered quitting the sport, and her parents supported this, but coaches pressured her, citing the time, effort, and money invested. She hoped the Figure Skating Federation would allow her to change coaches to Nina Mozer, but her request was denied, leading to her serious illness.

She spent several months recovering in Israel. By February 2015, Yulia weighed 95 pounds (43 kilograms) and planned to resume training. "I won’t leave the sport! I will return to figure skating! I haven’t decided which discipline yet, but I might switch from pairs to ice dance," she told Vsy Sport. However, this comeback never materialized. Her current endeavors remain unknown as she stays out of the public eye and social media.

Canadian Poisoning Incident: Lyudmila Pakhomova and Alexander Gorshkov, 1972

In the early 1970s, Lyudmila Pakhomova and her partner Alexander Gorshkov were hailed as the "golden pair" of figure skating. Their dominance was undisputed both in the USSR and internationally. They consistently brought home the most prestigious awards. However, in 1972, they nearly withdrew from the World Championships in Calgary, Canada, after a suspicious incident suggested someone wanted to eliminate them.

On the morning before the final performance, after a regular training session, the pair joined other competitors for lunch at the hotel restaurant. Two other athletes joined their table. Pakhomova and Gorshkov preferred simple meals and carefully monitored their diet before competitions. Nothing seemed amiss, but the ordinary lunch nearly ended in tragedy.

Later that afternoon, both skaters fell seriously ill with high fevers nearing 104°F (40°C) and relentless vomiting. They barely managed to call a doctor, who diagnosed severe poisoning. Since other competitors who ate at the same restaurant were fine, suspicions arose that someone deliberately poisoned Pakhomova and Gorshkov with a potent unknown substance.

• Poisoning Diet: Drink More, Eat Less

Despite their weakened state, the determined athletes refused to give up. They were treated with medications to alleviate symptoms and reduce fever. They missed a training session but managed to practice key elements. Perhaps some rivals breathed a sigh of relief. Yet, at the scheduled time, pale and exhausted, Pakhomova and Gorshkov took to the ice and delivered an outstanding performance. No one in the audience suspected that less than 24 hours earlier, they had been fighting for their lives. The judges unanimously awarded them the gold medal.

"I could barely stand that day, yet we performed and earned our gold medal. How was that possible? I don’t see such acts as heroic; many people can do it. Not everyone knows their own willpower because few face true stress. Sports help us discover ourselves. In elite sports, almost everyone is capable of what journalists call a sporting feat. Experienced athletes aren’t surprised by sudden recoveries. It’s not recovery but a switch to an unknown state activating hidden forces of body and soul. I’m happy to have experienced such moments!" wrote Lyudmila Pakhomova in her diary.

Interestingly, the poisoning incident, possibly orchestrated by rivals, was quietly swept under the rug. Since the athletes recovered and won, no further claims were pursued. Nevertheless, many still believe it was a provocation against Soviet figure skaters.