The prize fund of the season of figure skaters will be 100 million rubles

Federation found money and creativity

Director General of the Russian Figure Skating Federation Alexander Kogan announced the amount of the total prize fund for Russian skaters in the new season. It will amount to more than 100 million rubles. “This should support our athletes, coaches and interest in figure skating.”

In the prize fund, as Alexander Kogan emphasized, there is not a penny of budget money, it was collected from the funds of the FFKKR partners. And it is designed to support athletes, coaches and specialists in the conditions of the removal of our skaters from international starts, to compensate for financial losses due to non-participation in major international competitions.

“We need to maintain high competition in domestic competitions,” says Kogan, “skaters must have motivational reasons. And this applies to both adult athletes and our young skaters, we must remember that we expect them at the next Olympic Games.”

This season, Russian figure skaters will compete at the Russian Grand Prix. There will be six stages in total, the final will be held in Sochi from 3 to 5 March. The winners of the stages of the Russian Grand Prix will receive 500 thousand rubles, the second place – 300, the third – 200 thousand. The winner of the Russian Grand Prix final will receive 1 million rubles, the second step of the podium will be valued at 750, and the third at 500 thousand rubles.

For comparison: skaters who compete under the auspices of the ISU also receive prize money both at the stages and in the finals of the commercial Grand Prix series. The prize fund of the stages from the first to the fifth place is as follows: 18 thousand dollars, 13, 9, 3, 2 thousand.

In the Grand Prix finals, the prize money is already higher, and all six participants in each event receive them: 25 thousand dollars, 18, 12, 6, 4, 3 thousand.

“The Russian Grand Prix is ​​not an analogue or likeness of the ISU series. But in Russia, highly qualified athletes, I want to be seen constantly and it was interesting to watch the rivalry, – says Alexander Kogan. – Moreover, we have tied Russian competitions among juniors to the stages of the Russian Grand Prix, which will be held before the adult competitions. We will hold all stages of the Grand Prix in large palaces. The competitive days themselves are Saturday and Sunday, every week there is a start, there will be no demonstration performances. The Grand Prix Final will be held in the same format.”

The stages of the Grand Prix will provide an opportunity to qualify for the Russian Championship, the Grand Prix Final and the Russian national team for the next season. FFKKR this season will pay the winner of the championship of Russia 2.5 million rubles, for the second place – 1.5 million rubles, for the third – 1 million rubles. Especially impressive for comparison: the World Championship, the main tournament of the season, brings the winner 64 thousand dollars.

Our skaters will accumulate rating points throughout the season. The first final three (in each category) will be awarded with additional prize money: 5 million rubles, 2.5 million, 1 million rubles. There is also a separate prize fund for the Russian Jumping Championship (or jumping tournament, the name has not yet been approved) and the Open Tournament for show programs – 10 million rubles, the First Channel Cup – 20 million rubles.

The jumping tournament will again call for the participation of not only single skaters, but also pairs, which are throws, spins, parallel jumps. “The tournament will be interesting, we have many athletes who can perform complex and unique elements,” Alexander Kogan believes.

An open show program tournament is an innovation. The performance of the participants will be judged by the audience through voting. The program should be new, and active and retired athletes can take part, and possibly the participation of foreign skaters.