Viktor Petrenko, Olympic figure skating champ from Ukraine, rebuked for Russia performance
Viktor Petrenko, the 1992 Olympic figure skating champion from Ukraine, had a monthly stipend revoked by Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in part because Petrenko participated in a figure skating show in Russia in July.
On July 8, Petrenko took part in “The Scarlet Flower,” a figure skating show in the 2014 Olympic host Sochi organized by 2006 Olympic ice dance champion Tatiana Navka, the wife of Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov.
Petrenko, 53, reportedly played the father of a character played by 16-year-old Kamila Valieva, the Russian skater who placed fourth at the Beijing Olympics amid a still-unresolved revelation of a positive drug test from Christmas.
On July 9, Ukraine’s figure skating federation revoked Petrenko’s membership and role as vice president.
“The former athlete made his shameful decision despite the bloody full-scale war that Russia has been waging,” the federation said in a statement, according to a New York Times translation, adding that he performed “in the same team with the supporters of this terrible war.”
Olympic and Paralympic medalists from Ukraine can receive lifetime stipends from the nation. Those payments can be suspended or revoked for leaving to work abroad, for being penalized by a national or international sports federation or for stopping directly participating in the development of athletes.
Zelenskyy’s office announced Monday that Petrenko also stopped participating in the development of athletes.
Petrenko’s most recent Instagram post from Feb. 25 read “NO WAR.”
The following week, Petrenko was stranded in Kyiv after returning from a 30th anniversary commemoration of his Olympic title in his hometown of Odessa, according to The New York Times.
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Viktor Petrenko, Olympic figure skating champ from Ukraine, rebuked for Russia performance originally appeared on NBCSports.com
