Figure Skating Federation of Armenia: Akopova and Rakhmanin’s transfer is a historic event

The Figure Skating Federation of Armenia has issued an official statement regarding the transfer of the sports pair Karina Akopova — Nikita Rakhmanin under the Armenian flag. The Figure Skating Federation of Russia has officially confirmed the transfer, and the duo will now represent Armenia on the international stage.

This transfer marks a historic moment — for the first time in the history of Armenian figure skating, the country will be represented by a pair skating team. Previously, only singles and ice dance duos had competed for Armenia, but there were no representatives in the pairs category.

Karina Akopova and Nikita Rakhmanin have been skating together since 2020, training in Sochi under the guidance of Olympic medalist Fedor Klimov, and have achieved podium finishes at various international competitions. In an earlier interview, Akopova shared that it had been her childhood dream to represent Armenia, and this step is the fulfillment of that long-held dream.

The pair is now preparing for the Olympic qualification tournament, which will take place in September in Beijing. The federation emphasizes that there is a strong possibility that Akopova and Rakhmanin will secure an Olympic berth for Armenia for the 2026 Winter Games in Milan-Cortina.