so the we've got. the biggest issues get the human voice face to face with the news makers. welcome back yard with r t a look at the headlines christians around the world are marking easter which this year falls on the same day for both orthodox and western worshippers thousands of people attended a special mass at russia's main cathedral neutrals conducted by the head of the country's church patriarchial. and severely twenty five years have passed since the term model disaster but one community has been through it despite the devastating for lots they couldn't afford to move the exclusion zone and have carried on with

their lives on contaminated land. believe them governments claims there are new civilian casualties in the nato led into them some as american drones strike broken off and forces meanwhile rebels are gaining ground in strategic postal services as government troops retreat. oh good enough is next with his talk so spotlight is today's the island champion in figure skating. hello again or welcome to the spotlight the interview show our take i'm now going out and today my guest in the studio is. needs at this here japan was supposed to house the world figure skating championships but after that devastating earthquake and tsunami that caused huge losses to the economy it became clear the country

could afford the rent russia out of the house the championship in moscow in just a month everything was ready and the contest is kicking off tomorrow so what did it take to get us prepared so quickly here's a link to champion anton sikharulidze. moscow's used to hosting the sports events including the biggest stage in the world championships just six years ago alissa disaster in swer a battleground for the world's best trigger skaters but this time the situation was different because the city only had a month to get ready for the championship the latest preparations are being done right now but generally it seems moscow has successfully passed this trust asked. on a welcome to the show thank you thank you very much for coming well first of all you said i quote the moscow championship will be an unpredictable and particularly tense competition and what makes you think so how do you do when do you want to say

that that maybe the the the change our place somehow love all that equaled the chances of everybody you know what first of all i want to say sorry for the whole japanese nation. and if we're talking about the world championships. you know it's kind of interesting because when being ready for that kind of change it. now figure skating is very popular here in russia. maybe figure skating even the first place. a lot of sports which the most popular now in russia and we have lots of interesting skaters spatially skaters who've been skating before but anyway we have lots of shawls and figure skating now for which we're talking about. all the people around us talking about skating about

some names. i would ask you you remember certainly the late sixty's and seventy's when soviet figure skate he was number one in the world it was a trial and a sleepover not really but you know about that everybody was watching i was recording figure skating on my own my tape recorder the because i wanted the melodies are one of the tunes i want to add value to paul maria things like that so can can we say there today figure skating is becoming ass popular as it was in the times in a different way because in our sport it's completely different things if you dump it it's with their seventies and it's huge business and it's. sport and we're not talking about a figure skating it's about all the sporting. we can say it's in this morning that kind of popular and i think it's going to be. going to watch the world

championships here on t.v. and sure a lot of people are going to watch it right in the stadium and it's a nice stadium it's a really really cool to be there it's it's new it's been this premier so you mentioned russia as one of the favorites can you mention other countries who are favorites of this year. chip are you talking about the results or you know what i'm not going to go the results when i am thinking about this championships because the russian national team now is kind of young and we're not really can say where are the best from the world how we can say a couple years ago when we're champions on the league games in three days to pull in. and now it's a completely different situation now we have a new generation and these guys they're going to fight all kind of place in these championships and we have no leader who want to be

a champion for sure oid going to be a leader in singles. on coffee and people people called well yeah it is a best it's a good pair they never compete on any kind of. tired competition really and you never know how it's going to be because the first time when it comes in the world championships it's kind of difficult and if you're skating very good. practice it's doesn't matter you going to be there on competition and it's actually in the sport we have a completely different people some of them skating good practice and they never going to be champions and some of them never champions on a practice on a competition the skating fantastic how much this it mean anything for figure skaters being at home i mean skating and i think he has but you will talking

about our guys and our nation our team it's even more difficult when you go somewhere really for me it was like these i'm sure it's for everybody because it's more. responsible responsibility more people who are waiting starting from you all the time on t.v. somebody is talking about your nation old team and for the guys who want to be it it's much more. difficult then to go somewhere you know especially to the other side of the ocean and they can be there yeah it's hard to but you know it's not like. all country watching you listen we mentioned that we mentioned the glorious times of the u.s. society of the suit figure skating with after the collapse of the u.s.s.r. one of the big problems in figure skating was that it was very good and many coaches left the country is this problem of coaching in figure skating overcome

do we have a new generation of coaches is it is it all sort of settled out or it's still like you know like after after the war you know now i can see the situations changing because now that's of course as who'd been somewhere not here they come back because they have a much better. condition money. and now we have a lot of ice three senates level ice we see. some of them coming back but the generation of the guys who'd been on those years they kind of not ready for the big champs. because you know it was not really a sport in the ecology and it's different psychological things here but i believe in a couple years if we look forward we can. cage week three again

but now it's much more harder because they figure skating growing everywhere in asia they figure skating now it's huge sporting major and they have a lot of shows every year and they have a lot of fantastic skid row's stuff and the japanese korean chinese. lots of good hitters in europe u.s. and canada is using it it's i mean the whole world now growing figure skating that's why i know we can say that it's going to be one country who go on a winner all the time like it was. the wealthy years ago or twenty years ago and now it's even more interesting for the aurion because each competition different people. so. chapter. let's take a look now at the history of figure skating in russia here's this report from spotlights the leader. he's the man who brought russia its first

ever olympic gold more than a hundred years ago. the price for a special eagles the spot was about inventing complicated patterns and join them on ice with the skaters boids it was only part of the olympics once at the nineteen zero eight summit games in london but that was enough planning to become a legend their version of legal skating to the next few turbulent decades not by revolutions civil war stalin's repressions and then the with the nazis biggest gain in russia was not given much attention become she had to wait for more than fifty years for somebody to repeat upon and success it was eventually done by a panel we were below also work in the leg for the poor of they received two olympic gold and one food will championships what's more they changed as gating have been introduced elements of belaid into the sport the nineteen seventies so

irina rodnina not becoming the most successful best skater in the story when intense access to world championships at the same time of the new upper home over and the alexander girsh off had been gaining their reputation as one of the best honest and spares of all time the collapse of the soviet union so skating rinks in russia shutting down coaches live in the country for better wages and sport losing the financial support it used to jewry despite all that russian athletes continue to talk major figure skating bands the tour squares your golden ocean there is not and see who reads a just a few names associated with the russian figure skating at the beginning of the same sheree. so i'm going that was the history of russian figure skating there these were the legends but today fergus cady is becoming more popular and is becoming younger and younger and younger every

day do you think this is good or really bad or maybe this is this worries you you know what i can say it is good or bad because it's what i have you know like you know what i mean kids kids are like it's kids on a second you know right side violent you know religionistic love ya know not like this it's young guys but after this pours in figure skating and we have some hours of life it's kind of shows and shows people skating the way in or fifty years old and even maybe as they grow we more shows after that and for warrants it's not bad too because we don't need to look at the sport hard sport because it's sport sport it's for us for eons it's for our it's our life it's short all anywhere. action. some some guys in very young age they skate in an. exam world after that is

skating on the shores but we can a look at them and see the royals for many many years or so what should be is that is that being young in professional sports leaves you more time for for making money i'd prefer to live out of making not just money made you happier also. you know now the figure skating is very difficult to quit and you can be scared if you already kind of all the guy you know a young guy is a. jumper and can do something you know it's it's life or it's all sports getting like this now says. the limping figure skating champion spotlight will be back shortly after we take a break. so stay way you all continue this interview in less than a minute. plane

engine. the russian republic blends historic diversity with economic diversification oil drilling industry pushes for tomorrow's pressure chemical products traditionally be patient the focus is on the fund pilot drones and the government experience cutting claims by going online to understand as the heart of russian innovation on technology update we've got the future coverage. we live in a country the gun understand that there's more violence in the streets of this country than there are in the streets of baghdad. just.

procured is the. least significant. welcome back to spotlight i'm going off and just reminded of my guest here in the studio is anton sikharulidze of the limping champion in figure skating we're talking about the world figure skating champion championship that should have taken place in japan but russia has taken over after the disaster in japan and it and it's taking off tomorrow in moscow what were the strong points that helped russia get this chairmanship because there was a competition can the united states croatia finland austria were ready to have the

championship but it came to moscow why not actually. ready for any kind of competition and we have a fantastic i sorry now it's new. really really good i mean a well we have called else here which is going to be good for the old people who come to the. beat and watch the world figure skating championships and we have people who a lot figure skating and actually believe it's going to be real championship it doesn't matter. we have just run months we're told we're ready for their that's why i think most called their. eyes you was because you are a professional figure skating you also today are a professional in organizing support you know doing a lot for school in this country and internationally do you think it really is possible how is it possible to suddenly organize something which was not planned

which was not in the plans not in the boat just not anywhere in such a short time in months and in one month actually is it possible you know it's possible first of all it's possible when you have money for that and now we have money for that because it would work from the last view from the budget it's money from the bad. second. we have all. the also ready for that kind of competitions and third we have. experience in may of big competition here in moscow and all two gears are. kind of championships in one month ok can you call it would you rather call it a stress test for the saatchi olympics oh no yes. because it's always stress when you have something for one month from one side it's risen for the other side it's kind of interesting and again we're going to say it for i

assume for the whole world we're ready for there and if we need some think we're going to do it like all russian people ok now listen you mentioned the money you got from the state budget do you personally have any idea can you give us the sun how much did it cost time to actually think across and it was actually a real. prize i believe it's about six million dollars i think it was six million dollars. well the the sort of it's not really is it is it going to pay back i mean so in ticket selling television rights you know no because when a dog could buy the tickets it's always. you know one of the people going to carnal knowledge and if it's going to be nice where is a maybe these days they go and. they want to go to their summer holidays because it's for us. yeah it's raining it's so if it's going to be different where them maybe more people come here to watch and it's depends how many people's grand from

as a country is usually actually we have a lot of fans from japan a lot of fans a really lot figure skating i'm not sure. they're going to crown from japan to watch it just a matter of fact people coming from abroad are russia's top olympic officials so i quote that the government. well expedite the visa process for the world figure skating championships what is being done to facilitate these requirements because it's usually pretty hard for foreigners to get these us to a country rival if it's going to be easy for the skaters and colchis who are going to come here for their world championships and the eucharist. i believe with who isn't going to google different situation but anyway will start to try to make their easier way to russia and it's already good how it's going to be for two is for sure i don't know but for sports news and for coral just it's already there to

make their. money did do the people who already got tickets for the championships in japan has a can or so so so no i mean somebody what ticket in japan will they have any preferences to come to moscow and say i already got their ticket chemical changes for rushing to get something so you don't think so don't think since i'm not sure because i'm not anymore going to give links but i'm not sure because you know probably they will have to get together to get their money back from japan and thereby you know i think it's going to be lazy is not you they have to get there and they can give it here i am not sure it's going to work hard to really lead to such a short term but i know you're with a sponsor. a lot of sponsors who've been. working here with eyes you are going to be in moscow ok you know this and you mention how tells moscow does a lot of luxury so we have the ritz whatever but the problem is the problem has

always been that they blamed wasco for not having enough affordable hotels i mean three star four thousand the places where you can where you can get real value for money can you see as a muscovite and as a person involved in organizing this event that this situation is changing that you can get reasonable hotels in moscow. you know what. i know. which. kind of affordable and they're not bad but for moscow it's not enough for sure and i believe. business here should be growing in that kind of way we have to build new hotels are fordable hotels but the quality should be much better than now because lots of police who want to come here to watch their country do competition or something else they can pay

seven hundred euro for night but other ways they can pay two hundred dollars why do you want to see the quality and here we don't have a lot of what they're like this and i believe this is their way how we should go on ok now i know you mix a lot with lawmakers with people who take decisions in the russian spirit these six or whatever six seven millions that you got to organize this championship does it mean that this money will be taken out of the sports budget and that you have to save on some other sporting events in this country no no no i heard this in radio or t.v. and lots of people say oh i know you will be taken from some as our sports fans are going to snow this money going to be paid in from their spring. fund government and it's not going to patch any kind of sport or anybody of ours that's

why it's a real clean think ok one of the top russian figure skating are you could cover gucci you know exactly how you call his japanese and you know her very well can you can you tell me did did this disaster that happened in japan because she she was ready to to go. i performed there did this somehow influence her readiness to who would be the sense of influence or help performance and must first do all we ask many times and there are things right with her parents and family it's all already good. for sure for your own for all japanese people it's kind of difficult when you got something in your heart it's not just the confortable situation prepare for any kind of competition from other side will try to tell her you know in that kind of situation you have to be more stronger and if you're gonna

be good on ice in that in that moment it's all right you can do nothing else you can do you can skate for your parents for your family and try to do your best it's going to be your president and it's going to be your heart for that nothing else you can do because it's a difficult situation ok another question i ask you and i think you are asked this question a lot but i don't think we have ever heard the full answer to that are figure skaters finally are they used to the new rules to the new method of counting and cast their ballots by the judging system you know it's difficult questions if you want in my. opinion i don't like your system you don't like. the old system was five point nine six point zero and i love the rules when

artistic impression was really important because for me this is the figure skating and i remember not just some jumps from some guys remember. programs and this is going to be in my head forever not just one jump or one spin or something like this and now it's different rules but i believe these rules are going to be a little bit change in the going to be more thought koreans then now because nothing's going to be a like stop this is the rules for not believe there is you're going to work with the rules more and more and more because figure skating say it again it's not just sports for people who are skilled in inside this sport this is for. this is for audience this is for the people who watch your screen and these people should be

inside the program we should be inside a computational if you ask me well i did a little figure skating when i was a kid but so i try to look at it maybe a little bit more professional than it was but i think that it's becoming less spectacular like the new system i feel like it's trying they're trying to explain to the figure skaters that don't try to be better the more technical yeah that's right it's like it's like you know it's like we rush to see it's like running in the bag the guy isn't too who is the best runner but who's the best runner in the bad did you have this impression yes that's true. believe their eyes see you and all the people around figure skating and koch is going to. use rules from. or for that people north or the audience they don't believe that's going to be changing and we'll be real good and it's going to be much more

interesting even for the people who watch figure skating ok i want to thank you thank you very much for coming to the show and i always show we share you great success for the championship and i hope our guys will do well because because the russians really really like to have their own guys win at the rams so everybody loves that because she loves that spanking very very much and just to remind that my guest on the show today was anton see how to live that the illusion of champions in figure skating and that's it for now from all of us here if you want to have yourself a part lied or have someone in mind for your pincushion into next time just drop me a line of calgary. are you and let's give the show interactive spotlight will be back with more first hand comments on what was going on in and outside russia until then stay on r.t. and take it as. you george.