Galit Chait Israeli figure skater Date of Birth: 29.01.1975 Country: Israel

Biography of Galit Chait

Galit Chait is an Israeli figure skater who gained recognition for her achievements in ice dancing. She was born in Israel to a family of repatriates from Kishinev, but at a very young age, she moved with her parents to New Jersey, USA, due to her father's business interests. Her father, Boris Chait, was the president of an international trading company.

At the age of 8, Galit's parents took her to a skating rink in Rockefeller Center in New York for entertainment, but she developed a serious passion for figure skating. In the early 1990s, she traveled to Russia with her father, who organized a summer sports camp there. It was during this time that Galit chose ice dancing and found her first partner, Maxim Sevostyanov. Together, they placed 6th at the U.S. Championships and 28th at the 1994 World Championships, representing Israel.

In 1995, Galit teamed up with Russian skater Sergei Sakhnovski and they began representing Israel on the international stage. Their highest achievement in their career was winning bronze medals at the 2002 World Championships, making them the first Israeli figure skaters to achieve such a feat.

However, their success was not without controversy. Lithuanian duo Margarita Drobiazko and Povilas Vanagas filed a petition to the International Skating Union expressing their disagreement with the third-place finish of the Israeli pair. They claimed that the result was achieved through "financial support" from the judging panel, allegedly provided by Galit's father, Boris Chait, whom they referred to as the "Israeli mafia."

After the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Galit Chait and Sergei Sakhnovski decided to retire from competitive skating. In the fall of 2007, Galit began working as a coach in Nikolai Morozov's group. She trained Israeli pair Alexandra Zaretsky and Roman Zaretsky, as well as single skater Tamar Katz and Ukrainian skaters Anna Zadorozhnuk and Sergei Verbillo.

Later, she left Morozov's group to pursue her own coaching career. The Zaretsky siblings also followed her and continue to be coached by Galit Chait. In October 2008, Galit Chait and the Zaretskys filed a lawsuit in Bergen County, New Jersey, accusing the owners of "The Ice House" skating rink of discrimination based on nationality. They claimed that the rink's administration refused to admit them into the "Elite Program" which offered reduced training fees in exchange for promoting the rink. According to the plaintiffs, this was due to the administration's unwillingness to work with Israelis.

Galit's father, Boris Chait, has been the President of the Israeli Figure Skating Federation since 2002. On August 23, 2008, Galit Chait married Francesco Morichi, a former Italian police officer. The couple met in 2006 at the Olympics in Turin, where Francesco was working in security to protect the Israeli athletes. The wedding ceremony took place in New Jersey, USA.