Evgeny Plushenko is allowed to skate in the European Skating Championships, although he did not accrue enough points on the skating circuit this season to do so, as he did not participate in the Grand Prix or other competitions.
International Skating Union rules say for entry into the event, which the 29-year-old Russian has won six times, competitors are required to have put in at least one reasonable performance in preceding international competitions.
But Alexander Gorshkov, the head of the Russian Figure Skating Federation, told RIA Novosti that after an appeal, the ISU granted Plushenko a place at the January 23-29 event.
It will be an interesting event to watch, but the true event will be when Plushenko goes up against Patrick Chan at the world championships. I can't imagine he'll be able to compete with the Canadian but we shall see how the program components scores are for Plushenko.