On January 28, 2023 at the Small Arena of CSKA Multifunctional Sports Complex the third stage of Moscow Sport Figure Skating Cup will take place. More than 80 figure skaters from 10 figure skating schools will compete to reach the Final of the Tournament and to win the main prize, which is an opportunity to get into the first children's figure skating team of the City of Moscow with the prospect to prepare for the Olympic Games 2030. The headliner of the stage will be Sofia Muraviyova, who will show an exhibition performance, the main intrigue will be the participation in the Cup of "Plushenko’s Angels", striving to take the first line of the rating.
According to the results of the first round, the figure skaters from the school of Evgeny Plushenko failed to get the palm of victory in the team competition in the junior category. They took the second place after the team of the "Snegir" Centre of Sport Support and Development.
For the third stage students of three divisions of the Moscow Academy of Figure Skating (“Snezhnye Barsy” and “Kosino” divisions of School “Legendy”; and “Raduzhny” division of School “Sokolniki”) as well as representatives of the “Plushenko’s Angels” and six other commercial schools will meet on ice. For the “Plushenko's Angels” the third round will be an opportunity to meet the expectations of fans by coming up to the top of the standings. Though the current position in the ranking allows young representatives of the school to reach the Tournament Final, the situation may change dramatically, because there are still four stages ahead.
"Of course, we set ourselves only the most ambitious goals and strive to occupy only the highest places," said Evgeny Plushenko, the senior coach, founder and head of the “Plushenko’s Angels” School, "the first round showed that even in the competitions of very young skaters the struggle is by no means childish. We will do everything possible to help our charges to gain their personal best – they all want to win, and we hope that this Cup will become an excellent base for their future successful careers."
The culmination of each stage is the exhibition performances of the leading figure skaters - graduates of the Tournament participating schools. They are aimed to inspire young skaters and serve as an example for the development of their future careers. In the third round, Sofia Muraviyova, a graduate of the “Plushenko’s Angels”, who took over the relay from Anna Shcherbakova having performed at the first stage, and Alyona Kostornaya having skated in the second round, will come to the ice with a gala performance.
"Figure skating is a sport in which you need to be ready to compete at the top level from a very young age. A year ago I competed at the Youth Championship, and now I need to be ready to compete with the best skaters in the Adult Championship. The Moscow Sport Cup and similar competitions are the best way to cultivate the spirit of a winner in young skaters and nurture sports ambitions, ensuring them a smooth transition to the next stage of their careers," Sofia Muraviyova shared her opinion.
Moscow Sport Ice Ballet Cup
As part of the third stage of the Tournament there also will take place opening of the Moscow Sport Ice Ballet Cup. The competition will consist of three rounds, which will be held on January 28, February 26 and March 19. Dance groups, ensembles, theaters and ballets on ice from all over Russia will compete in 8 age categories:
- Pre-Novice A – children under 8;
- Pre-Novice B – children under 12;
- Novice – participants 8 to 15 years old, 4 skaters in the team may be not more than 3 years younger or older;
- Junior – participants 11 to 18 years old, 4 skaters in the team may be not more than 3 years younger or older;
- Senior – participants aged 15 and older, 4 skaters in the team may be not more than 3 years younger or older;
- Adult – participants aged 18 and older;
- Mix 15- – participants under 15;
- Mix 15+ – teams in which at least one of the participants is over 15.
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The Moscow Sport Figure Skating Cup is a team youth competition among skaters aged 6 to 12, organized by the Department of Sports of the City of Moscow. The competitions are held among the teams of the I and II junior categories, as well as among the I and II categories in men and ladies single skating, free program.
The participants of the Cup are divided into two subgroups – in the first group public schools and divisions of the Figure Skating Academy compete, as well as schools of CSKA, "Plushenko’s Angels" Academy of Figure Skating, SC "Army of Figure Skating" and Alexander Volkov’s School of Figure Skating, while in the second – commercial organizations. The Tournament consists of seven stages and a Super Final, which will be held on April 30, 2023 at the Small Sports Arena of the Luzhniki Olympic Complex. Five stage winners and two teams with the highest score after the free program from the first subgroup and four teams with the highest score from the second will get to the Final.
The General Information Partner of the Cup is RIA Novosti Sport.
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