The key facts
- Averbukh believes the daughters of Slutskaya and Navka are too young for ice shows, and the topic can be revisited in about ten years
- Slutskaya recalled that Varvara is 16 and stated that participation in Averbukh's shows was never in their plans
- In Slutskaya's opinion, an athlete's readiness for performances can be assessed much earlier than in ten years
Verbal spat over young figure skaters
Ice show producer Ilya Averbukh spoke about the prospects of the daughters of Irina Slutskaya and Tatyana Navka. According to him, young figure skaters must first achieve serious sporting results. «Everything has its time at the moment. The daughters of Tatyana Navka and Irina Slutskaya are still very young. None of them has achieved big results yet,» he noted, adding that this conversation could be revisited in about ten years.
Slutskaya's response
Irina Slutskaya disagreed with this assessment on social media. She recalled that Varvara has already turned 16 and emphasized that her daughter is open to interesting offers, but is currently focused primarily on her sports career. «Participation specifically in Ilya Averbukh's shows has never been in our plans. We have other priorities: sport, training, competitions and achieving our goals,» the figure skater wrote.
On timing and context
Slutskaya also disagreed with the need to wait another ten years to assess the young athlete's abilities: in her opinion, readiness for performances can be seen much earlier. Earlier, Slutskaya assessed Kamila Valieva's chances after her return to Eteri Tutberidze, noting that the athlete would have to prove everything all over again.
