Figure skating Olympic champion Mikhail Shaidorov has announced that he has been without a salary for five months, reports Todayinfo. According to the Kazakh athlete, neither he nor his coaching team have received their wages for five months since their historic victory at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milan.
The 21-year-old figure skater spoke openly about this in an interview with journalist Timur Balymbetov. According to Shaidorov, he did not receive full necessary support for several years leading up to his Olympic gold. It was only after he won a silver medal at the World Championships in 2025 that some assistance from the state began to arrive.
The athlete did not hide his dissatisfaction that his salary and training expenses were publicly disclosed. In his opinion, this action was an attempt to 'devalue' the years of hard work by him and his family.
The Olympic cycle lasts four years. But the published report only showed expenses for 2025. In previous years, I paid for all the costs of setting up programs and tailoring costumes myself. All this is not done in one year. Preparing an Olympic champion is several years of continuous work, — said Shaidorov.
The Olympic champion also stated that he lost medical supervision starting February 1. He currently does not understand how preparations for the new season will proceed. Although plans for training camps and the development of new programs have been approved, the issue of funding remains unresolved.
We haven't received salaries for five months. Not just me, but my entire team is not being paid. This is a very confusing situation. I just want to develop and raise my country's flag, — the athlete stated.
It should be noted that after the Olympics, the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Kazakhstan published data on Shaidorov's income and the expenses for his preparation. The agency intended to present this as 'the effectiveness of state support'. However, in society, this step was perceived as an 'attempt to claim credit' for the historic gold medal. The athlete himself viewed it as a disclosure of personal data and a lack of respect towards him.
Shaidorov won Kazakhstan's first Olympic gold in figure skating. In the men's singles event, he scored 291.58 points over two programs. The Kazakh athlete, who was in fifth place after the short program, flawlessly executed five quadruple jumps in the free program, setting a personal record of 198.64 points.
Thus, Shaidorov brought Kazakhstan its second gold medal in the history of the Winter Olympics. Previously, the only gold medal for the country was won by skier Vladimir Smirnov in 1994.
