Irina Lobacheva:
“Russian support was inspiring during our career and if Sochi hosts the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in 2014, a sporting nation will be behind the competitors. Russia embraces the Olympic Movement and we want the chance to show the world what the new Russia really means.“

Ilia Averbukh:
“Sochi 2014 would be Russia’s first Winter Games, despite topping the medal tables several times. Not only does the Sochi bid have the blueprint for a truly unforgettable Games, it will also result in the regeneration of an entire region, which is what the Olympic Movement is all about.“

Irina Lobacheva and Ilia Averbukh are a wife and husband figure skating team, who won five medals at the World and European Championships from 1999 to 2003.

Averbukh had previously skated with Marina Anissina, a partnership that brought two Junior World Championships, in 1990 and 1992. Lobacheva had skated with Alexei Pospelov, finishing 1st in the Nebelhorn Trophy in 1991 and 6th in the Russian Nationals in 1992. The pair then chose to skate together, with major championship success until their retirement from competitive skating in 2003.

Lobacheva and Averbukh were both born in Moscow. The pair married in 1995 and have a son.

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