Coaches at the “Lider” figure skating school in Moscow, previously accused of mistreating students, have been found to lack the sports titles they claimed to possess. The Ministry of Sports of the Russian Federation confirmed that Ivan and Svetlana Kalistratov were not awarded the honorary sports titles they advertised on the school’s website.

The investigation was prompted by accusations of cruelty towards students, including allegations of physical punishment. Liya Kozlovskaya, the mother of two students, claimed that her daughters were hit with a stick and a rubber skate cover for failing to perform elements correctly.

The Ministry of Sports stated that neither Ivan Borisovich Kalistratov nor Svetlana Borisovna Kalistratova were ever awarded the titles of “Master of Sports of Russia,” “Master of Sports of Russia of International Class,” “Honored Master of Sports of Russia,” or “Honored Coach of Russia.”

The “Lider” school website had stated that Svetlana Kalistratova was a Master of Sports of Russia and a member of the Figure Skating Federation of Moscow, while Ivan Kalistratov was a candidate for Master of Sports. They also claimed to be sports psychologists and pupils of Evgeny Nikitin, an Honored Coach of the RSFSR.

While the rank of “candidate for Master of Sports” is awarded by regional authorities, the Moscow Department of Sports (Moskomsport) confirmed that the Kalistratovs had not received this rank since 2022. Moskomsport clarified that these ranks require confirmation and that they had not awarded the rank to Ivan Kalistratov between May 2022 and May 2025, nor sent documents for Svetlana Kalistratova to the Ministry of Sports between May 2024 and May 2025.

The Figure Skating Federation of Moscow declined to comment, citing privacy concerns. The Ministry of Sports was unable to confirm whether the Kalistratovs possessed specialized coaching education, citing insufficient data and privacy protection.

Additionally, the “Lider” school lacks a permanent license to conduct educational activities. Their application to the arbitration court against the capital’s Department of Education and Science to obtain the license was dismissed.