Russia, Kamila Valieva, Alexandra Trusova, Anna Shcherbakova questions surround World Figure Skating Championships 2022

Updated 21/03/2022 at 17:26 GMT

The 2022 World Figure Skating Championships are going to look a lot different to normal, with some of the biggest names missing. Russia and Belarus will not have any representatives at the event in Montpellier, due to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. Olympic champion Anna Shcherbakova will not be there, and neither will Kamila Valieva and Alexandra Trusova. Watch it all on Eurosport and discovery+.

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The 2022 World Figure Skating Championships will be missing some of its biggest names in Montpellier, with Russian and Belarusian athletes blocked from competing.

The International Skating Union was one of a number of sporting organisations to block representatives from the countries competing, following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

It means Olympic champion Anna Shcherbakova will miss out, as will Kamila Valieva - who may not have been able to take part anyway - with Alexandra Trusova also unable to take to the ice.

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The Russian gymnasts and their entourages became a major talking point for numerous reasons during the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games. Besides the huge controversy surrounding Valieva, there were also outspoken views from Trusova and shock at the conduct of coach Eteri Tutberidze around the skaters on the biggest stage.

Tutberidze made headlines for her frosty reaction to Valieva missing out on a medal in a moment which IOC president Thomas Bach described as "chilling".

"Why did you let it go?” she said to Valieva in a moment caught on camera. "Explain it to me, why? Why did [you] stop fighting? You let it go after that axel. Why?"

Will Valieva, Shcherbakova and Trusova compete?

The World Figure Skating Championships will be missing some of its top attractions, with Russians blocked from competing following the country’s invasion of Ukraine.

Olympic champion Anna Shcherbakova will not be there to defend her 2021 world title, and nor will the so-called ‘Quad Queen’ Alexandra Trusova, who won bronze in Beijing.

Trusova produced an extraordinary reaction to missing out on a medal at the Games and threatened to never take to the ice again - before appearing at the gala dressed as Wonder Woman.

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Kamila Valieva would likely not have been at the World Championships anyway. An investigation is underway into her positive drug test from December and despite being cleared to compete at the Olympics because of the timing of the result - which came after she had already taken part in the team competition - the same dispensation was going to be unlikely in France.

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Which other Russians will miss out?

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The women’s field is weakened without the Russians, but the same can be said for the pairs competition. Anastasia Mishina and Aleksandr Galliamov, who won silver in Beijing, will not be in France to defend their World Figure Skating Championships title.

Aleksandra Boikova and Dmitrii Kozlovskii, who just missed out on a medal but claimed bronze at the worlds last year, will also be absent.

Ice dance will also be missing its reigning champions, with Victoria Sinitsina and Nikita Katsalapov forcing to sit out the event.

Who will be the main contenders in the absence of the Russians?

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In the women’s competition, the door is open for the Japanese pair of Kaori Sakamoto and Wakaba Higuchi to win World Figure Skating Championship gold. Sakamoto upset the Russians by winning Olympic bronze in Beijing.

Karen Chen of the USA will also be a contender, as will You Young of South Korea and Belgium’s Loena Hendrickx.

Sui Wenjing and Han Cong were always going to be the favourites in the pairs competition, having set world records throughout the Olympics on their way to winning gold.

In ice dance, the stage is set for a home win, with French pair Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron the outstanding couple.

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You can watch the World Championships live on Eurosport and discovery+

World Championships