The World Figure Skating Championships will be held in Saitama, Japan from March 18 to 24. The president of the Figure Skating Federation of Armenia, Melanya Stepanyan, told the press office of the NOC of Armenia that at the World Championship Armenia will be represented by singles Anastasia Galustyan and Slavik Hayrapetyan who will leave for the competition with their coaches on March 18.

Mrs. Stepanyan, which athletes are going to the World Championship and who is going to accompany them besides the coaches?

Figure skaters Anastasia Galustyan and Slavik Hayrapetyan will travel to Japan. We also, federation vice president Ari Zakaryan and me, will leave for the competition place.

In fact, we haven’t got dancing couples at this championship, either.

Last year Tina Karapetyan had problems with her partner that’s why this year she doesn’t participate. If the problem is solved till July 1 she will participate next year.

In an interview with News.am Slavik Hayrapetyan has noted that the tournaments’ uniform cost is covered by his parents. How would you comment on this?

Everything that is done for Slavik Hayrapetyan, is done by means of the federation. During world and European championships we are allocated funds by the ISU that belongs to the federation, but I regularly spend some of them on Slavik Hayrapetyan and other skaters. I see no problem if we spare some money on the uniforms, too. In Armenia they don’t cost much. If Slavik announces that he trains at Urmanov’s and the expense is covered by them, I will agree. The federation isn’t provided with such a sum to be spent. If I get 100 million drams, believe me, I’ll spend 105, but with 9 million I hardly count how many tournaments I have managed to send the athletes to.

Anastasia Galustyan returned to the ice rink after some break. Which is the real reason of the it?

I have never wished to speak on this topic, but she had a period of age perversity. Even once she decided to change the training ice ranks which I arranged thanks to my connections though it didn’t enter my duties. But I can’t and I don’t want to bear athletes’ age tantrums.