Russian Skating Duo Ends Partnership in Contract Controversy
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On August 31, 2023, Valsilisa Kaganovskaya confirmed the end of her skating partnership with Varleriy Angelopol on her Instagram because of a contract he presented to her earlier in the month.
The well-known Russian skating pair Kaganovskaya and Angelopol have won a handful of awards over the past years. They have skated together which created a fanbase that loved the chemistry between them. The two agreed to the partnership in 2019 and were coached by Anjelika Krylova. Over the years, they have won various awards such as the 2022/23 Russian Grand Prix Final in ice dancing.
On August 28th, Angelopol brought a contract to Kaganovskaya and stated that if she did not sign it before September 1st, he would not skate with her for the upcoming season. This created much conflict throughout social media when Kaganovskaya did not sign the contract and word got out that the pair separated.
The split of the pair took social media by surprise, as many did not think their partnership of five years could be thrown away that easily, but fans have been quick to take sides in the situation. Kaganovskaya first spoke out on Instagram on August 31st explaining her side of the story, along with sharing the conditions of the contract.
“Neither I, nor my family, nor my coach, no one was willing to work under such conditions. That’s why we’re not skating together anymore. And it’s not a mutual decision but Valera’s decision alone,” Kaganovskaya stated.
She expresses her gratefulness for the five years and claims she is moving on to a new skating partner, thus ending any rumors saying there is a possibility the pair would be staying partnered.
“We didn’t hear Valeriy’s side of the story until long after Vasilisa shared hers. Her side seemed very unbiased and factual especially because it was from a direct source, [Instagram],” sophomore and past figure skater Lily Bailiff stated.
Although Kaganovskaya had shared her perspective thus gaining support on her behalf, Svetlana Angelopol (Valeriy’s mother) later wrote on Instagram about her view on the controversy which made the situation more tense as it accused their coach, Krylova.
“It is a shock to me that Anjelika disowned the contract, saying that she learned about it at the end of August, especially since she was the initiator of this contract, shifting all the responsibility onto us. I will note once again, that she received it on August 8,” Angelopol wrote on Instagram.
This caused conflict throughout the controversy as Angelopol’s side was shared. The information states that the contract was purely the coach’s suggestion. This has made many people question whether Kaganovskaya knew it was Krylova who pushed for the contract before she refused to sign it and put her message out on the media.
Many believe the outcome of this situation was inevitable or even for the better as the pair has been having troubles before even outside of skating.
Sophomore Hailey Sherlock stated, “I also knew them from the breakup situation referencing their relationship breakup, not skating partnership split.”
Their breakup did not have as much of an effect on social media as many did not even know the pair were dating as they were not very public about it. The breakup did make people question whether they would continue skating together and now many wonder if it could be a supporting cause for the split of the pair.
In conclusion, the media is showing more support for Kaganovskaya.
“I feel like Vasilisa deserves a partner who doesn’t let outside influences impact their partnership, skating, and relationship in general,” sophomore Maya Smlatic stated. With the newly released information from Angelopol’s perspective, many await to see if Krylova speaks out confirming or denying the accusations about the contract and situation as a whole.