Should ISU take a stance on Yagudin's insults against other athletes?

[ancientpeas]

The whole thing about the gold medal and where to put it is an expression. No one is actually threatening Yagudin with a forcible penetration. To be honest the outrage over it is a distraction. Yagudin clearly advocated violence against a group of people. Not just Adam but an entire group of people.

I have been hearing this expression all my life. There is probably even a Russian equivalent to it. Put it in your pipe and smoke it is the more genteel way of saying it. Kiss my grits would be another. It's just a crude way of saying "I don't care about your opinion." not an actual threat to commit a violent act on a person.

 

[TallyT]

Ohh, did you mean "put that in your pipe and smoke it"? I prefer that one!

Not quite. It's the exact same expression Adam used, but with the older, earthier British, Australian etc version of the word for the, umm, fundament. (God, I sound so twee.... but I am trying to follow the rules! Want me to PM you?)

 

[Scott512]

That might be the problem right there. Yagudin always did have issues with alchohol. Twenty years ago h was kicked off the Champions on Ice tour for showing up for work drunk every day.

I remember that and I think he got arrested for drunk driving before he won Olympic gold in Salt Lake City in 02. But because he did not hurt anyone else he was forgiven and went on to become an all-time great figure skater but not an all-time great human. You would think being married to a very successful woman and having two daughters would make him more sensitive to people's feelings but he doesn't act that way. Maybe his daughters will sit him down someday and explain to Daddy why what he said about Adam Rippon is wrong and hateful and hurtful. Alexei that's so damn much to be thankful for but I doubt he is thankful.

Whether he is religious or not, these comments Are simply unacceptable. I’m a religious person, yet I love and respect everyone for who they are! We must hold people accountable for their actions/statements, and we must all try to move on from this. There’s not much ISU can do except restate that they are accepting of everyone in the LGBTQ+ community.

Agreed. It's just so sad that nobody pulled him to the side and said Alexei stop saying these things.

Looking back I feel better about rooting for Plushenko over Yagudin in those years not even knowing how mean-spirited yagudin really was.

 

[Chris Cooper]

Wow! That is disgusting. I 'used' to be a fan of Yagudin and think his 2002 short program is one of the greatest of all time.

His hate filled comments have no place anywhere. The ISU should certainly take action, such as stripping his accreditation to attend events and by putting pressure on the Russian federation to have him removed from Channel One. We cannot and should not tolerate this bigotry.

 

[Scott512]

But it doesn't matter if Yagudin himself is homophobic because of his personal stance on religion. In this case, it matters more about where the homophobia in Russia comes from, and where the anti gay propaganda stems from in the country. To that, I believe the answer *is* religion.

A thing I read on another site is that he used to date men? Maybe the anti gay propaganda is eating away at him.

It may come from religion in Muslim countries but I doubt it in Russia. It could be skinheads it could be there manly culture for men. Alexei no doubt grew up with negative connotations about homosexuals. You would think he would become more tolerant being in the sport he was in since he was a little boy.

Would you still expect ISU to say something for LGBT+ people while they didn't say anything against sexual abuses from some of the top coaches and athletes a few months ago? This organisation is sick as hell.

You just made the most pertinent point of all. True.

So, what do we have now. Shoving things up person's ass is perfectly acceptable image for the ISU, eh? People are applauding
By the way, not just things, but actually Olympic gold medal

No it's not!

I'm sorry but what did you expect from Adam after receiving death threat and insults not only for him but for the entire LGBTQ+ community?



Yeah it is disappointing to see them ignoring such glaring issues cause like Adam said it's not new in Figure Skating, and unfortunately some people inside this sport often prefer to look the other way, and it's not just for this but even in regards to BLM movement, i'd have been much appreciated a statement from ISU in support of all communities, hopefully they will say something about all of this at some point.

Did Alexei really make a death threat? He could be arrested for that. But not for making filthy comments about Adam Rippon on Russian television channel 1.

 

[macy]

Oh, it's rude.

you're concerned that Adam's response was "rude" after receiving a death wish? you gotta be kidding.

 

[lariko]

The whole thing about the gold medal and where to put it is an expression. No one is actually threatening Yagudin with a forcible penetration. To be honest the outrage over it is a distraction. Yagudin clearly advocated violence against a group of people. Not just Adam but an entire group of people.

I have been hearing this expression all my life. There is probably even a Russian equivalent to it. Put it in your pipe and smoke it is the more genteel way of saying it. Kiss my grits would be another. It's just a crude way of saying "I don't care about your opinion." not an actual threat to commit a violent act on a person.

From what I remember, Russian colloquialisms tend to point toward the front or far, far away vs the English equivalents, but it doesn’t matter. Yagudin is an embarrassment, damaging and hurtful. When he first publicly name-called Brown (not for his jumps, but for his personal life) there should have been repercussions.

 

[CanadianSkaterGuy]

Response from Rippon
https://www.instagram.com/p/CBOYvhEMV0-/

This. Is. AMAZING!

 

[Skatesocs]

! Want me to PM you?)

Ok!

 

[Fried]

This. Is. AMAZING!

I agree. Perfect response. Bravo!

 

[RoyThree]

1) Doesn't the ISU issue press credentials? If so, they could deny him credentials based on their statutes.

2) Reading through this thread, it is truly sad to see how much homophobia still exists within the skating community.

 

[mrrice]

This. �� Is. �� AMAZING! ��

Good for Adam. Even though I have always been a "Plushy is the greatest" person, I must say that I am disappointed to read about Yagudin. I hope he makes a public apology so I can at least respect him again.

 

[noskates]

I'm so disappointed. Alexei was always one of my favorite skaters. Now he just disgusts me. As for his Gold Medal - he worked hard for that and earned it and it was 18 years ago. People go through many changes in 18 years. His changes obviously have not been positive ones. Leave his medal alone.

However, the people who hire him to commentate on figure skating, and the people who pay his salary for that broadcasting are the ones who should be taking measures to shut him up. They are as guilty as he is of homophobia and very bad taste. Hit him in the wallet - that will hurt. I doubt there is any precedent for the ISU to take any action. The other question I have is - who hears this commentary outside of Russia? I am NOT defending him - quite the contrary. But I also dont' think this is an international blowup. He's made himself look small-minded and repulsive. This type of behavior will come back to bite him in the posterior.

And may I say I love Adam Rippon? His response, while a little bit edgy, was perfect. Snark personified.

 

[Scott512]

There are quite a few big name skaters from the west still following Yagudin on instagram... shows how much the entrenched fraternity cares unless they are forced to appear to do so.

Same thing happen after rodina said those horrible things about Alina calling her a prostitute and said she wanted to cut her face. Many young skaters still followed her on Instagram. I could never make sense of that and obviously I can't make sense what Alexei Yagudin said and that are still have so many followers even if they are lifelong acquaintances and friends. Very disappointing. Strange in fact. Especially since some of Alinas teammates were still following rodina after she said those horrible things about Alina.

 

[surimi]

you're concerned that Adam's response was "rude" after receiving a death wish? you gotta be kidding.

I can't speak for that poster, but it seemed to me they were reacting to being recommended to work on their English skills. They're presumably a non-native speaker.

 

[Pantsu]

Please see my and el henry's reply to snwnprv, regarding understanding the English language.

The other poster already told you that was rude. Personally, i've seen such a reaction from English speaking people a few times before, always when they have no real arguments. They just jump straight to "you need to brush up on your English language and English invective skills."

The whole thing about the gold medal and where to put it is an expression. No one is actually threatening Yagudin with a forcible penetration. To be honest the outrage over it is a distraction. Yagudin clearly advocated violence against a group of people. Not just Adam but an entire group of people.

I have been hearing this expression all my life. There is probably even a Russian equivalent to it. Put it in your pipe and smoke it is the more genteel way of saying it. Kiss my grits would be another. It's just a crude way of saying "I don't care about your opinion." not an actual threat to commit a violent act on a person.

So you know for sure what Yagudin meant when he wrote the message. Did any of you bother what his words mean in Russian - no. You simply assumed the worst, applied your interpretation and that was enough. Even the person who translated the message couldn't resist temptation to add "all of" part to the phrase, but who cares.
You see things Yagudin never said

I heard Yagudin's expression countless times, it shows only your weakness. That means all you can do is to sit and wait for when my life naturally ends. The most common reaction to that would be either laughing or ignoring
If you want to compare the insults. The one from from Rippon will definitely get more reaction. Most likely the person's face will have to endure some physical punishment after saying that "expression"

 

[Skater Boy]

I cannot condone any kind of discrimination or promotion of violence. I am somewhat shocked this comes from anyone especially a public skater. I am disappointed because I thought and still think Yagudin was an amazing skater both technically and artistically. But these words are not appropriate for anyone especially one with influence. I wondered if it was alcohol fueled not that that is an excuse but then it seems the comments were made when he was working in front of the camera. As an analyst critical points about the skating are fine but not personal remarks meant to invoke hatred or pain. Should the ISU get involved wel we might like it but there i freedom of speech - this might be more the responsibility of the network hiring Yagudin and the viewers.

 

[Skatesocs]

So you know for sure what Yagudin meant when he wrote the message. Did any of you bother what his words mean in Russian - no.

Let's not pretend Russian words are all interpreted in the exact same way as you did, dear. Otherwise, explain why there's a petition - made by Russians out there - to get him fired.

If you want, go ahead, start a petition to get Rippon fired from whatever he's doing currently for "stick it up". Let's see how many sign it.

 

[Pantsu]

Let's not pretend Russian words are all interpreted in the exact same way as you did, dear. Otherwise, explain why there's a petition - made by Russians out there - to get him fired.

If you want, go ahead, start a petition to get Rippon fired from whatever he's doing currently for "stick it up". Let's see how many sign it.

The petition started several months ago by people who don't like Yagudin's approach as a commentator. Right now i see 2300 people signed it

 

[Mathman]

1) Doesn't the ISU issue press credentials? If so, they could deny him credentials based on their statutes.

That is the question that I don't think has been definitively answered on this thread. Who hired Yagudin as a commentator, who pays his salary, whom does he have to listen to and whom can he ignore.

Can the ISU dictate to the Russian Ministry of Sport, to the Russian Skating Federation, to the television channel?