Ukraine has lost its once strong position in figure skating and at today's Olympics, representatives of our country are not mentioned among the favorites. To a large extent, the reason for this is the training system, in which almost everything is based on the enthusiasm and money of the parents of future athletes, the TSN. 19:30.

Now the children's trainers are predicting a great future for the 7-year-old Alexandra Yurchenko, who is engaged for several hours six days a week and dreams about the title. She has to get up at 5:00 in the morning to get to training in the ice arena of Kiev, whose schedule is dense and the rest of the time is occupied by representatives of hockey and short track. "At 7:00 in the morning there is ice, and we are happy," - says the children's coach Olga Kurovskaya. But the time allocated by the federation is not enough for a full-fledged preparation, so parents at their own expense are looking for the opportunity to train on other skating rinks, even if they do not meet the requirements of figure skating. Even on those that have changed little over the past 20 years, they have a fungus on the walls and a temperature like on the street. "We buy a ticket on general grounds - both coaches and athletes," explains the figure skater Marina Yurchenko.

Without the efforts of parents in figure skating, reaching heights is unrealistic. To pay trainers, rent ice and halls for choreography or physical training, you have to spend up to 15 thousand hryvnia per month. Professional skates, which need to be changed at least once a season, cost about 19 thousand.

Figure skating - the most elegant winter sport. It was in it that Ukraine received its first Olympic gold in the distant 1994 - it was brought from Lillehammer by Oksana Baiul. However, since that time, domestic figure skating has only lost ground. "The world did not stand still, everyone developed, built skating rinks, coaches became more literate, conditions comfortable, and we stood still and even lost. This is problem. I live in this country, I see what problems people have, I understand that they are not up to the sport, "said coach of the national team of Ukraine Marina Amirkhanova.

First Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports Igor Gotsul hopes that soon the situation will change for the better. Already this year in Kiev will begin reconstruction of the sports complex "Avangard", a new ice arena should appear also near VDNH, there will be more winter areas and in the regions. "Those who are active, who work not only in commerce, where children can be engaged under the guidance of a coach, about two dozen, and within two or three years their number will change approximately twice," the official is convinced. In the meantime, the conditions are not enough, the athletes are spinning, how can. Two-time champion of Ukraine Ivan Pavlov last year collected money through the Internet to go to training camps and prepare for the Olympics, because the only high-quality skating rink in the summer did not function for almost a month.

"I collected 1700 euros, it helped me a lot, money went to buy equipment, costumes, partly for training," - said the figure skater. However, Ivan did not go to Korea, because the license, ahead of him, was taken by another skater who has the opportunity to train in the United States. Ivan still has to wait for the Olympics in 2022 and hope that by that time the promised improvements will become a reality. "It happened, as happened. So, I need to fight the next Olympics, "says Pavlov.

TSN correspondent Svyatoslav Grinchuk.