Further Cuts to ISU Championships?

[CaptCrunch]

The ISU has always sold their TV package to the US networks to include both figure skating and speed skating. ABC NBC, and CBS would then decide on their own what events to air. This is why there would always be 1 or 2 speed skating events on every year along with the major ISU championships in figure skating. Of course the US networks were basically paying for figure skating and the ISU threw in speed skating to get that sport some coverage as well.

It wasn't until NBC signed for 2009 worlds that speed skating was not part of the package.

[SpeedySucks]

It wasn't until NBC signed for 2009 worlds that speed skating was not part of the package.

Speed skating was not part of the ESPN package from 2005-08 either. The ISU actually does get a lot of money from Dutch TV for speed skating, though not nearly as much as they used to get for figure skating.

[mysticchic]

ISU can shoot themself in the foot like America Cup people http://www.dailyfinance.com/story/media/avast-ye-scurvy-dogs-americas-cup-hijacked-by-lawyers-billio/19350752/?icid=main|htmlws-main-n|dl4|link5|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailyfinance.com%2Fst ory%2Fmedia%2Favast-ye-scurvy-dogs-americas-cup-hijacked-by-lawyers-billio%2F19350752%2F

[Ziggy]

All the ISU members got already the Congress proposals,made by the council and by the different members.More than 200 pages just for figure skating and ice dancing and synchronized skating.I am afraid that the delegates will not read the proposals prior to the Congress and they will vote as a voting machine.The Council proposals will be as a "package".So was it with the new judging system some years ago,I think at the Kyoto"s congress.And if the members are not voting very carefully the Council will win wit all these stupid proposals.

Thanks for the info.

That's really depressing. :(

[Asli]

Often there are several alternative proposals on the same subject though. China and Japan should write a proposition to go back to the 24-finalist format. They are not strong in all categories like some of the others.

[Ziggy]

Often there are several alternative proposals on the same subject though. China and Japan should write a proposition to go back to the 24-finalist format. They are not strong in all categories like some of the others.

China is only strong in Pairs so this will hurt them a lot.

As for Japan, it seems like they don't give a rat's arse about their Pairs and Ice Dance. :/

[Andrey aka Pushkin]

Russia should do it, after all, going back to 24, seems to be the only way they can qualify their men :P

[cholla]

The French federation is "ice sports" so it not only includes figure and speed skating, but also hockey, curling, skeleton, and luge/bobsled, IIRC.

French hockey is no longer under the wing of FFSG. FFHG (http://www.hockeyfrance.com/index.php) is an independant organization since May 2007, with its own status, chart and money.

[Evilynn]

There's been a lot of reports on loss of revenue for skating events. I could imagine hosting skating competitions is becoming a financial loss, and this may be a way of mitigating that.

Worlds in Gothenburg was profitable. I can't remember the exact figures, but they were in the black. I can't remember if Euros in Malmö in 2003 was profitable or not, but I'm assuming they didn't have huge losses since Skate Sweden applied for worlds for Gbg.

What's the logic behind combining speed skating and figure skating? They're both small sports (compared to hockey and the like), but does it really save them money/earn them leverage to be in one union? I'm genuinely curious, because I assume there has to be some benefits or all federations would join the break out organization and then no one would want to compete in the ISU events anyway.

[gkelly]

Well, they started out combined when the ISU was first founded in the 1890s. Speedskating was a more established sport at that time. And the level of participation was such that it made sense for many federations and even local clubs to combine them as well.

Axel Paulsen was primarily a speedskater.

The question isn't really so much why were they combined, but why haven't they been separated sooner. The answer is probably that the smaller federations that make up the majority of the voting members, many of whom have combined national federations, find it more convenient to keep them together.

If there were to be a move to form a separate figure skating governing body, I think it would be necessary to get figure skating representatives from as close to all the federations as possible to work together toward that end. At a minimum, all the GP countries would need to be on board.

[barbk]

Wasn't there some issue the last time this came up (with WSF) that the IOC does not want a proliferation of sports governing bodies? As I recall, they insisted that the various snowboard and freestyle skiing events get put under FIS' umbrella even though those sports didn't want anything to do with FIS.

[Evilynn]

Well, they started out combined when the ISU was first founded in the 1890s. Speedskating was a more established sport at that time. And the level of participation was such that it made sense for many federations and even local clubs to combine them as well.

Axel Paulsen was primarily a speedskater.


I had no idea. Thank you. :)


The question isn't really so much why were they combined, but why haven't they been separated sooner. The answer is probably that the smaller federations that make up the majority of the voting members, many of whom have combined national federations, find it more convenient to keep them together.


It would be interesting to know how many federations combine the two. Sweden doesn't, and we're hardly giants in either sport (the FS fed has 14k members/participants, whereof 10k are active). The speed skaters share a fed with inline skaters and long distance outdoor skaters instead.

[Nmsis]

It's not only about speed skating & figure skating combined federations.
Skate Canada is a figure skating + hockey federation.
If the canadian figure skaters wanted to split at the international level with the ISU because the money comes from figure skating, guess what canadian hockey may say to canadian figure skaters ? ...

And to know which federations combine speed skating and figure skating and which one are not, that's easy. The list is on the ISU website. There are countries with one federation and countries with two.

[lexeoe]

It's not only about speed skating & figure skating combined federations.
Skate Canada is a figure skating + hockey federation.
If the canadian figure skaters wanted to split at the international level with the ISU because the money comes from figure skating, guess what canadian hockey may say to canadian figure skaters ? ...

And to know which federations combine speed skating and figure skating and which one are not, that's easy. The list is on the ISU website. There are countries with one federation and countries with two.

Skate Canada is only a figure skating organization. Hockey in Canada is under Hockey Canada, while speed skating is under Speed Skating Canada.

[cruisin]

I don't care much for the cut (well, I do, but there might be some logic behind it), but billing the federations that did not get their skater into top 18 is suicidal for the sport.

Actually, it's going to hit the big federations as well. The Big 6 have some athletes in some disciplines outside the top placements as well.

It will discourage the big federations from sending the up and coming skaters for international experience.