Armenian Olympic Figure Skaters Denied UK Visas, Forced to Withdraw From European Championships

Figure skating pair Karina Akopova and Nikita Rakhmanin will not take part in the European Figure Skating Championship after failing to receive visas from the United Kingdom. The athletes represent Armenia and were preparing to travel for the competition, but the visa process was never completed.

After the situation became public, The Armenian Report contacted the athletes to clarify what had happened. They confirmed that the main issue was the lack of any response from the British Embassy in Armenia, despite all required documents being submitted well in advance of the competition.

According to the team, the visa application process stalled without explanation. As the competition date drew closer, the athletes and the Armenian Figure Skating Federation made repeated attempts to reach the UK visa center.

The skaters said they spent several days waiting at the visa center, hoping for a last-minute resolution. However, no progress was made, and the visa approval never arrived.

Karina Akopova told The Armenian Report
"If we’d received them today, we would have gone straight from the airport to the competition, but even today it didn’t work out. The Federation wrote and called everyone they could, but the UK visa center didn’t even deign to respond to a single message. Today, they simply kicked us out. The Federation and we spent a ton of money on tickets, constantly changing them, and waited for our chance."

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