Armenian national figure skaters Simon Danilyants, and the pair Karina Akopova–Nikita Rakhmanin, will not compete in the European Figure Skating Championships due to the United Kingdom’s failure to issue their visas within the required timeframe, according to the Armenian Figure Skating Federation.
The championship, taking place in Sheffield from January 13 to 18, is described as one of the most important events of the 2025–2026 season.
"Despite the timely submission of all required documents, the UK embassy did not issue entry visas to our athletes within the stipulated deadlines, depriving our national team of the opportunity to participate in the European Championships.
This is a major blow to our athletes’ seasonal preparation, competitive progress, and international rankings. Years of hard work, training, and dedication should not be undermined by administrative delays.
The Armenian Figure Skating Federation is doing everything possible to prevent such situations in the future and to protect the rights of our athletes.
We will continue fighting for a dignified presence of Armenian figure skating on the international stage," the statement reads.
Karina Akopova described the news as “shocking” in an interview with Match TV.
The 22-year-old skater added she is unsure whether the visa issue is related to the pair’s Russian origin.
Of course, this is shocking for us. We didn’t get the visa, even though we applied a month ago. It’s still not ready. We were in Armenia today, waiting for the visa, hoping we’d get it, but unfortunately, no," she said.
*In May 2025, Armenian Figure Skating Federation President Melania Stepanyan confirmed the transfer of the Akopova–Rakhmanin pair to the Armenian national team in an interview with Metaratings. Prior to that, they competed for Russia.
At a qualifying tournament in Beijing, the pair finished second, securing a spot for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.
Russian skating pairs were barred from participating in the Olympic qualifying competitions.
