Zagitova and Scherbakova: “Peace Sign Appearance” Reveals Mixed Feelings

A series of famous Russian figure skaters, including Alina Zagitova, who won the gold medal in women’s figure skating at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics and the “new and old queen” Anna Scherbakova, who won gold in the same event at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, are pictured making the “peace sign,” meaning peace, in the He posted it on Instagram.

Zagitova and others posted the photo taken at the Channel One Cup, where Russian figure skaters excluded from the World Championships in Montpellier, France, compete. Various sanctions have been imposed on Russia since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the sports world is no exception, with Russian athletes not allowed to compete at the World Championships.

As if in response, Russia decided to hold the “Channel One Cup” behind the World Championships. Anna Scherbakova, the gold medalist in women’s singles at the Beijing Olympics, Alexandra Trusova, the silver medalist, and Kamila Valiyeva, the fourth-place finisher, will all compete at this event, which will be called “the more important event! In Russia, there were voices such as

In the “Channel One Cup,” Scherbakova showed a stunning performance. She suffered a nosebleed during her performance, but managed to land a quadruple flip and took first place in the free skate. Zagitova seemed to be a presenter at this event.

Many athletes, including the two of them, posted photos of themselves making peace signs. In Russia, where speech is strictly controlled, it is difficult to criticize the government or the war. Russian figure skaters, many of whom are world-famous stars, seem to be struggling with how they should behave.

This is the peace sign in such a situation. Fans whisper that this may be the voice of the figure skaters’ hearts, their desire for peace.

Of course, we don’t know the true meaning, but the new queen, Scherbakova, says about her future, “I want to take a rest now. I will see how things go. （If the turmoil continues, it will affect my decision. It is hard not to read the influence of the war into this comment.

In any case, the players should be blameless. I hope that the world will soon come to a place where everyone can compete peacefully hand in hand.