Petition against Adelina Sotnikova mean-spirited

(Moscow News – themoscownews.com – Natalia Antonova – February 21, 2014) Following the Sochi women’s figure skating finals, I am having a “Leave Britney Alone” moment. “Leave Britney Alone,” of course, was a popular meme that resulted when a fan upset about criticism of Britney Spears took to YouTube to support the singer and voice his hysterical frustration with her detractors.

While I’m not feeling particularly hysterical, thankfully, I do think that Adelina Sotnikova, who just won historic gold for Russia in a tough competition against Kim Yuna, needs to be left alone by the haters right now.

Controversy over the judging has already resulted in an online petition that demands that Sotnikova be stripped of her medal. As I type this, over a million people have signed that petition.

While experts have disagreed over whether or not the judging was fair, it seems to me that one detailed New York Times analysis comparing Sotnikova’s performance to that of her rival – as done by Larry Buchanan, Jon Huang, Josh Keller, Haeyoun Park, and Archie Tse – offers a pretty definitive explanation of why Sotnikova won gold.

Other experts have pointed out that Sotnikova’s performance was simply more vibrant and engaging. There wasn’t just technical brilliance on display, but a certain kind of fluidity and charm that ended up eclipsing everyone else.

Upsets, wins and judging decisions that may not immediately be clear will always result in controversy. Russia just went through something similar last weekend, when a hockey goal was disallowed in a game with the United States. The occasional hissy fit and conspiracy theory is part of what makes sports so exciting. It’s a way to blow off some steam.

Still, I do find the Change.org petition against Sotnikova troubling. I find it troubling that so many people have rushed to sign it. And some of the online comments I’ve seen against her struck me as just gratuitous. Trolls will be trolls, but still.

When Russians stomped their feet about their disallowed goal, everyone went, “Oh but of course! The Russians WOULD do that!” Yet Sotnikova’s win shows us that Russians are certainly not unique here.

To say that it’s been a tough week in this part of the world is to say nothing. In spite of the beauty and drama of Sochi, the terrible events unfolding in Kiev have been heartbreaking to observe.  Turning our attention back to Sochi for a few hours, we were treated to an amazing and gorgeous figure skating competition. It was a moment of grace, of fun and excitement.

Moments of grace can be hard to come by in this day and age. This is just one of the reasons why Adelina Sotnikova deserves better than mean-spirited petitions.