American figure skater answered the question about the absence of Russians at the World Championships

American figure skater Evan Bates answered a question about the absence of Russians at the 2023 World Championships in Saitama, Japan. His words are quoted by Sport-Express.

“Seeing the atmosphere in the arena today, one can appreciate the love for figure skating,” the athlete said. He stressed that figure skating is in excellent condition, and the level of competition at the World Championships is high in all disciplines.

Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto won the tournament with 224.61 points. In second place is Korean Lee Hae In with 220.94 points. Third place was taken by the Belgian Luna Hendrix with 210.42 points.

Russian skaters did not take part in the World Championships due to the sanctions of the International Skating Union (ISU). The ban for domestic athletes began to operate on March 1 last year. From 2015 to 2017, as well as in 2019 and 2021, Russian women became the winners of the women’s singles tournament.