Russian figure skaters perform to Ukrainian Shchedryk carol at Grand Prix in China – video

The Junior Grand Prix in figure skating began on 20 August in China, and Russian ice dancers caused controversy on the opening day of the competition.

Source: Champion, a sports news platform within Ukrainska Pravda's holding company

Details: This is the first international tournament to allow representatives from Russia and Belarus to compete since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. On the opening day of the Grand Prix, the "neutral" ice dance duo of Mariia Fefelova and Artem Valov found themselves at the centre of a controversy.

They performed their rhythm dance to a mix of music by Vivaldi and the Ukrainian Christmas carol "Shchedryk", also known as the Carol of the Bells, by Mykola Leontovych. The programme was put together by renowned French choreographer Benoit Richaud, who has been actively working with Russian skaters this season.

The choice of music came in for harsh criticism online.

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