Two-time Olympic figure skating champion Yevgeny Plushenko has criticised the proposed law change ©Getty Images

A proposed amendment to Russian law which would see athletes restricted to competing at only two Olympic Games has been criticised by Yevgeny Plushenko, Russia’s two-time Olympic figure skating champion.

Plushenko won Olympic gold in the team figure skating competition at Sochi 2014.

But the withdrawal of the 32-year-old from the individual competition, citing a back injury, has led to a bill being submitted to the Russian Parliament by Liberal Democratic Party Deputy Yegor Anisimo. 

The proposal aims to prevent a repeat as by preventing athletes from competing in more than two Games, it is believed that younger and less injury prone athletes should be given priority. 

The four-time Olympian has hit back at the proposal telling tass.ru the proposal is “beyond comprehension and inappropriate.”

“How can an athlete, who is strong and has a desire and the will for victory be deprived of the right of taking part in the Olympics?” Plusenko, the Turin 2006 Olympic men's singles champion,  said.

“It does not matter whether an athlete at the issue is past his sports prime age, injured or young.”

Yelena Isinbayeva’s Rio 2016 hopes would be ended if the proposed bill was passed
Yelena Isinbayeva’s Rio 2016 hopes would be ended if the proposed bill was passed ©Getty Images

If the amendment to the law was passed by the Russian Parliament, Plushenko would be prevented from competing his fifth Olympics at Pyeongchang 2018, despite having won two gold and two silver medals at previous Games.

It would prevent other high profile athletes from competing at future Games, with the proposal threatening two-time Olympic pole vault champion Yelena Isinbayeva’s hopes of winning a third title at Rio 2016, having won gold at Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008, before earning bronze at London 2012.

"This proposal bears no relation to real life," Isinbayeva told the TASS news agency.

"Any athlete has the right to compete for as long as they can qualify for the Games."

The law would also have prevented Alexandr Zubkov, double Sochi 2014 gold medallist and Russia’s flag bearer at their home Winter Games, from competing, having participated in bobsleigh at three previous Games.


Four-time Olympic swimming Vladimir Salnikov was another to hit out at the plan.

Salnikov, now the President of Russian Swimming Federation, told Reuters: "Tomorrow someone will say let's introduce the 100 metres jump without a parachute into the Olympic programme.

"The person who comes up with this idea will be someone who does not have a clue or anything to do with sport."