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Russian figure skater's Holocaust-themed costume — half concentration camp prisoner, half Nazi guard — nominated for award. Oops.
Image source: Twitter video screenshot

Russian figure skater's Holocaust-themed costume — half concentration camp prisoner, half Nazi guard — nominated for award. Oops.

Anton Shulepov skated to the theme from 'Schindler's List'

The International Skating Union apologized and corrected its "error" after nominating a Russian figure skater's Holocaust-themed costume for its year-end awards, The Guardian reported.

Anton Shulepov wore his costume — half concentration camp prisoner, including a yellow Star of David, and half Nazi guard — during a free skate program to the theme from "Schindler's List," the outlet said.

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Some skating fans had already raised concerns when Shulepov wore the costume in early November at the Internationaux de France event. However, the criticism stepped up when Shulepov was nominated for costume of the year. One user on Twitter said "the horrors of genocide [are] not entertainment."

How did the Anti-Defamation League react?

"While we understand the need for skaters to be creative in their choice of costumes, Anton Shulepov's apparent decision to evoke painful Holocaust imagery as part of his routine was insensitive and offensive," Jonathan A Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, told the outlet in a statement. "We are surprised that the International Skating Union initially posted a picture of this costume as a nominee for 'costume of the year.' Yellow Stars of David or other concentration camp imagery have no place in figure skating."

Russia's Anton Shulepov performs in the men free skating at the Grand Prix of Figure Skating 2019/2020 NHK Trophy in Sapporo, Japan, Nov. 23, 2019.Photo by JUNKO KIMURA-MATSUMOTO/AFP via Getty Images

Shulepov's costume nomination was changed Monday to his short program outfit: a plain blue costume that did not reference Auschwitz, The Guardian said.

What did the International Skating Union have to say?

"The ISU regrets that by error the wrong costume (Free Skating instead of Short Program costume) of Mr. Shulepov has been presented for voting," the organization said in a Twitter statement. "This error has been corrected, and the ISU sincerely apologizes for this mistake and the bad sentiments it has caused."

The Guardian said it approached the ISU for comment, but the outlet didn't note if the organization responded.

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