Sports weekend with Izvestia

Figure skating

Russian Championship

In the absence of our skaters at international competitions for the fourth year in a row, the main competition of the season for them remains the Russian Championship, which traditionally takes place in the second half of December. On the 18th, it started in St. Petersburg, where all the best Russian figure skaters gathered, including Adelia Petrosyan and Peter Gumennik, who qualified in neutral status for the upcoming Olympic Games in Italy in February. On the first day of the competition, short programs were held for sports couples and ice dancing, short programs for women and men are scheduled for December 19, and on the weekend we will find out the winners of the championship based on the results of the free programs.

December 19, short program: 15:30, men; 18:25, women. December 20, free skate: 13:00, ice dancing; 15:45, pairs; 18:05, women. December 21, 3 p.m., men's free skate. The Yubileyny Sports Palace (Saint Petersburg). Live broadcasts on Channel One and Channel One's website

Tobogganing

The World Cup. The third stage

In December, international winter sports federations began allowing some Russian athletes in neutral status to participate in their competitions. Last week, two of our skiers, Daria Nepryaeva and Savely Korostelev, managed to meet the qualifying standard and earn a quota for the Olympics in Italy at the end of the World Cup. Next weekend, Russian luge skiers who will participate in the mixed doubles at the World Cup in Lake Placid will begin the fight for entry there. Initially, six of our athletes were allowed there, but at the last moment the International Luge Federation (FIL) revoked the neutral status of three of them, so only Matvey Perestoronin, Pavel Repilov and Daria Olesik will compete there.

December 19, 23:00-00:00. December 20: 00:00-04:05; 20:00-23:49. Olympic bobsleigh track at Mount Van Hoovenberg (Lake Placid, USA). Live broadcasts on Match TV, Match Arena and Match Planet

Roller coaster: three Russian luge skiers were not allowed to the qualifying starts in the USA

Before the World Cup in Lake Placid, the International Federation questioned the neutrality of our athletes

Ski racing

The Russian Cup. The fourth stage

Not so long ago, Daria Nepryaeva and Savely Korostelev competed at the World Cup in Davos, and this was the first appearance of Russian skiers on the international stage since February 2022. But the rest of our representatives in this sport are still banned, so for them the main tournament of the season remains the Cup of Russia, the fourth stage of which will be held next weekend in Izhevsk. There, the audience will once again see three-time Olympic champion Alexander Bolshunov and our other stars.

December 20, sprint: 10:30, preliminary race, women; 11:00, preliminary race, men; 12:30-12:54, quarterfinals, women; 13:00-13:24, quarterfinals, men; 13:30-13:36, semifinals, women; 13:42-13:48, semifinals, men; 13:58, final, women; 14:08, final, men. December 21, individual race: 10:00 a.m., women; 12:30 p.m., men. Sports and recreation ski complex named after G.A. Kulakova (Izhevsk). Live broadcasts on Match TV, Match Arena and Match Planet

Not very fun starts: how Nepryaeva and Korostelev qualified for the Olympics

How did you remember the long-awaited performance of Russian skiers in Davos?

Biathlon

The Commonwealth Cup. The third stage

In biathlon, Russians and Belarusians have not yet begun to return to the international arena, so their main starts are still within the framework of the Russian Cup and the Commonwealth Cup. The third stage of the Commonwealth Cup in Tchaikovsky, Perm Krai, will begin on Friday, when we will find out the best in the women's and men's sprints. And on the weekend there will be pursuit races and mass starts.

December 19, sprint: 09:00, men, 11:30, women. December 20, pursuit: 09:00, men; 11:00, women. December 21, mass start: 09:00, men; 11:30, women. Federal Winter Sports Training Center "Snowflake" (Tchaikovsky). Live broadcasts on Match TV, Match Arena and Match Planet

Winter is close: what is the shape of the stars of our biathlon and ski racing

Bolshunov, Latypov and other tops will start competing this week.

Hockey

KHL Regular Season

The KHL season resumed this week after a pause for the Channel One Cup, and a huge number of top matches are waiting for us next weekend. On Friday, Traktor Chelyabinsk will host Metallurg Magnitogorsk, the leader of the regular season, in its first game under new head coach Evgeny Koreshkov. On Saturday, the current Gagarin Cup winner Yaroslavl Lokomotiv will meet at home with one of the favorites of this season Omsk Avangard, and Ufa will host the green derby between local Salavat Yulaev and Kazan AK Bars. The CSKA Moscow – Dynamo derby will take place on Sunday.

December 19, 17:00, Valery Belousov Traktor Arena (Chelyabinsk). December 20: 14:30, Ufa Arena (Ufa); 17:00, Arena 2000 (Yaroslavl). December 21, 3:30 p.m., CSKA Arena (Moscow). Live broadcasts on Match TV, KHL TV, KHL Prime and Kinopoisk

"It's hard for teams playing in the old style to succeed"

Traktor head coach Evgeny Koreshkov — about his tasks at the Chelyabinsk club, international matches and the spirit of Russian hockey

Basketball

VTB United League. UNICS – Zenit

As usual, during the VTB United Basketball League regular season, special attention of the audience is focused on the face-to—face matches of teams from the top 4 - CSKA Moscow, Kazan UNICS, Zenit St. Petersburg and Krasnodar Lokomotiv Kuban, which have been steadily competing for the main trophy in recent years. Next Saturday in Kazan, UNICS will host Zenit St. Petersburg. The teams are currently in second and third place in the table, respectively, second only to CSKA.

December 20, 3 p.m., Basket Hall (Kazan). Live broadcasts on Match TV and Match! The game"