Maxim Shabalin

It looks like Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin have bowed to the international outcry following their choice to dress up as "Aboriginal" characters in their figure skating display. The Russian pairs skaters had come under scrutiny after many deemed their outfits offensive. The costumes, which gave the two fair-skinned Russians dark skin and stereotypical accouterments of native Australians, were a big hit when they debuted. They won gold at the Russian figure skating championships with them...Read Full Story

VANCOUVER (Reuters) - Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin passionately swayed to the beats of Tango Romantica on Friday to take the lead in possibly the last compulsory dance at the Olympics. While skaters were divided about the merits of the snooze-inducing compulsory dance, which faces the axe as it is the least popular of all figure skating events, no one could grumble about the way the Russian world champions performed with their deft footwork and precise holds to score 43.76 points...Read Full Story

Canada's Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir surged to the Olympic ice dancing lead as world champions Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin's controversial Aboriginal-themed original dance failed to impress in Vancouver. A dramatic Spanish Flamenco allowed Virtue and Moir to overtake the Russians who had been leading after the compulsory dance, with the three-time Canadian champions scoring 68.41 points for the programme and 111.15 overall. The Canadians opened up a 2.60-point advantage on US champions...Read Full Story

World pairs champions Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy are at the top of a familiar looking list at the European championships. But not by much. The three-time defending European champions were first in the short program Tuesday with 74.12 points, just .20 points ahead of Yuko Kavaguti and Alexander Smirnov, last year's silver medalists. Fellow Russians Maria Mukhortova and Maxim Trankov are also within a point of Savchenko and Szolkowy at 73.54, meaning the title will go to whoever wins...Read Full Story

Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin , the favorites for ice-dancing gold in Vancouver, wowed the crowds with their routine at the European Championships. They sit in the lead after their original dance, a tribute to Australian Aborigines. Except, Aboriginal leaders don't see it as a tribute. They don't really see how it has anything to do with their culture at all. Domnina and Shabalin are required to do an original dance that is representative of a country's culture. The U.S. pair of Tanith...Read Full Story

Canada's Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir danced their way into history on Monday when they became the first North American couple as well as the youngest ever Olympic figure skating ice dancing champions. The pair from Ontario took gold ahead of Meryl Davis and Charlie White of the United States as world champions Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin of Russia took bronze after the free dance final at the Pacific Coliseum. The only previous ice dancing medal won by Canada was when Tracy Wilson and...Read Full Story

TALLINN (Reuters) - Ice dancers Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin wore loin cloths and leaves to help extend their lead at the European figure skating championships on Thursday with a dance that has offended Australian Aboriginal elders. The Russian world champions were surprised to learn that elders had accused them on Thursday of stealing an Aboriginal dance idea and causing serious cultural offence. "We didn't know anything about it," a wide-eyed Domnina told reporters after scoring 61.49...Read Full Story

Much to do is being made over World Champion and Russian Olympic competitors Oksana Domnina and Maksim Shabalin. The pair is coming under fire for wearing costumes inspired by and potentially offensive to Aborignal heritage. The costumes feature loin clothes, stirking white body paint, randomly festooned Eucalyptus leaves and a bit of brown face. Russian skaters dressed up like Aborigines While they may look like the most terrifiying kids birthday party performers ever, Domnina and...Read Full Story

An Aboriginal-themed routine by two Russian ice dancers has stirred up a pre-Olympic controversy, with some indigenous Australians blasting the "rip off" of their culture and Canadian native leaders worrying about the insensitivity of the skaters. World champions Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin are doing an Aboriginal routine for their original dance — complete with brown-toned costumes adorned with leaves and white Aboriginal-style markings. Their music includes a didgeridoo riff. In the...Read Full Story

The coach of Russian ice dancers Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin has started carrying pictures of Australian Aborigines with her so he can whip them out and show anyone who claims the skater's outfits are disrespectful. Domnina and Shabalin, the world champions, have found themselves in hot water over an Aboriginal-themed routine they are expected to perform in Sunday's original dance at the Vancouver Olympics. In it, they wear dark bodysuits with swirls in white, red loin cloths and...Read Full Story