Elena Chaikovskaya, who oversees the Russian national figure skating program, announced that the duo Diana Davis and Gleb Smolkin has been granted permission to alter their sports citizenship. In practical terms, the decision enables the pair to pursue a transitional path while remaining connected to Georgian skating opportunities, as their current affiliations are reassessed. Officials indicated that the transition would not immediately pull them away from the Georgian national team, and the framing of this move reflects a broader strategy of managing athlete careers across borders under Georgian sports governance.
According to the announcements from the Russian side, the athletes have not yet provided a direct update on their plans, but there was contact to facilitate a transit through Georgia on May 22. After careful deliberation, the executive committee’s office resolved on May 25 to authorize their release. The procedural timeline shows a formal channel for evaluating such athlete movements, balancing the athletes’ future opportunities with the expectations of the national federation.
There is context to their recent activity: Davis and Smolkin captured silver at the 2022 Russian Championships, a result that earned them the right to compete at the Beijing Olympic Games. While the Olympic appearance marked a high point, the pair did not reach the podium there and subsequently did not participate in major competitions for about a year and a half. Sources indicate that no public funding or direct support was allocated to the skaters during that interval, and there were no reported visits to Russia in the interim. In light of this, the federation chose to allow them to pursue other athletic avenues.
Commentators note that the broader implications touch on how Russia manages the mobility and citizenship questions of its high-level athletes, especially those who have pursued Olympic opportunities abroad or under different federations. The Davis–Smolkin case illustrates how national bodies sometimes accommodate transitions that keep athletes in motion while respecting national team duties and the rights of athletes to explore options that align with their professional goals.
Earlier discussions had referenced Anna Shcherbakova and Alexander Trusova in the context of the Russian national team lineup for the upcoming season, underscoring the ongoing reshaping of personnel and roles within the program as young skaters transition into new competitive phases. The evolving roster underscores the federation’s focus on continuity, performance benchmarks, and long-term planning as it navigates a crowded field of elite skaters and emerging talents.