Adeliia Petrosian makes international debut in Milan amid controversy over costume color
Russian figure skater Adeliia Petrosian appeared internationally as a neutral athlete in Milan, skating in a red sequined jacket to Michael Jackson’s music and scoring 72.89 points, positioning herself as a medal contender. Despite the ban on Russian symbols at the event, her costume sparked debate, particularly from The Washington Post, which implied that wearing red—one of Russia’s flag colors—contravened the rules.
Though red is part of the Russian flag, the competition rules mandated neutrality with no national symbols allowed. Petrosian's performance drew global attention to the fine line between cultural expression and political restrictions in international sports events.
Moving forward, the situation for Russian athletes remains delicate, as the international community closely monitors compliance with regulations while athletes strive to balance personal expression with official requirements.
