Canada bidding for 2013 world championship

[Jackie Sparrow]

No it isn't...................it's a pain to get to London

Do you live in Winnipeg, Winnipeg?
Well, London is closer for us over here so...

[4rkidz]

I was just snooping around the John Labatt Centre on Google Earth Street View, and it seems to be close to all kinds of little restaurants, including a Tim Hortons down the street. Does anyone know what the neighborhood is like?

Kim - it's really nice and what's handy is you can leave the arena and walk to all sorts of nice places to eat, drink, shop etc., There are lots of hotels both closer to the arena and out to the highway - in addition many other cities are close by.. regular transport from Toronto and airline bus from Detroit airport and Toronto airport.. I don't live in London but agree it's a great choice - they did a great job for Nationals.. I'll have a vehicle again as well

[shutterbug]

London is easier to get to.

No it isn't...................it's a pain to get to London

Neither city is that difficult to get to, provided you don’t have an aversion to small planes for the TO to London flight. How easy one place is to get to vs the other kinda depends on where you’re coming from and what form of transportation you’ll be using, no? For those planning on driving, be prepared, parking really is a PITA.

Looking at the ticket prices for the Worlds in Calgary, it will be interesting to see how quickly the tickets sell. The lower-priced ones may go fast, but the top end are pretty pricey.

[Bailey_]

Considering how many seats will be reserved for the ISU and Skate Canada, I have no doubt that tickets will be in high demand and the event will sell out with no difficulty.

I still have to wonder if it was wise to limit the event to such a relatively-speaking, small arena. It's not nationals, this is the world championship. Big! Seems like a step back to me... I was in Calgary and I have to wonder if the relatively poor attendance was related to the fact that the event wasn't marketed very well. I have no doubt that Winnipeg would have sold out - given the response to other big events like the Brier, the world Jr hockey championships, concerts, etc... That venue has become one of the premier venues in terms of selling out and maximizing revenue because community support is strong. But, it's a done deal at this point and London will be wonderful - it was wonderful this past year at nationals. I would love to go but I'm not too excited to go back to London and I fear that it will be really hard to get tickets.

[skatesindreams]

Thank you for the explanation, Mr. Thompson, it's nice to know Skate Canada is interested in keeping the fans informed.

Thanks from me, as well.

[Really]

The relatively poor attendance in Calgary was probably more due to it being a post-Oly's Worlds than anything else.

[kwanfan1818]

The relatively poor attendance in Calgary was probably more due to it being a post-Oly's Worlds than anything else.

I think also that the Olympics in Torino were more accessible for Europeans than Sochi will be. The logistics of Sochi might not be possible for a lot of people in Europe who could fly into Toronto easily and directly from European hubs for the post-Olympic Worlds.

I don't think anything stops fans from Japan.

[allezfred]

I think also that the Olympics in Torino were more accessible for Europeans than Sochi will be. The logistics of Sochi might not be possible for a lot of people in Europe who could fly into Toronto easily and directly from European hubs for the post-Olympic Worlds.

The vast majority of European figure skating fans tend not to travel Worlds outside of Europe. Sochi isn't going to factor into their decisions one way or the other.

There are direct flights from Europe to Toronto, but the skaters flying in are going to face a two hour coach trip to get to (fake) London after their flights and going back will have to leave 5-6 hours ahead of their flights to make sure they arrive on time at Pearson. Two hours from a proper international airport is just unacceptable for a host city for a World Championships.

Let's hope nobody's luggage gets lost.

[kwanfan1818]

Two hours from a proper international airport is just unacceptable for a host city for a World Championships.

I guess no more WC's for Dortmund again, then. Isn't Nagano a long trip from the nearest proper international airport? Everyone I spoke to who went from NA traveled through Tokyo.

[Really]

Two hours from a proper international airport is just unacceptable for a host city for a World Championships.

Let's hope nobody's luggage gets lost.

Damn, doesn't it just suck that Canada's such a friggin' big country with so many arenas and so few proper international airports. Guess that's what we get for being the Imperialists and having the nerve to leave the homeland...

[allezfred]

I guess no more WC's for Dortmund again, then. Isn't Nagano a long trip from the nearest proper international airport? Everyone I spoke to who went from NA traveled through Tokyo.

Dortmund is 45 minutes from Dusseldorf Airport on a direct train. So I guess Dortmund can have Worlds again.

And Nagano is a bit of a journey from Tokyo. Which is why Worlds next year was moved there from Tokyo. You can still get from Tokyo to Nagano in 79 minutes if you want though by a frequent, reliable and comfortable train service.

[Blade1]

Considering how many seats will be reserved for the ISU and Skate Canada, I have no doubt that tickets will be in high demand and the event will sell out with no difficulty.

Does anyone know typically when tickets for a World's event go on sale ? I read one of the articles that tickets for Worlds 2013 would go on sale Spring of 2011 - is that normal ? Typically 1 year before event tickets go on sale. Just asking and thinking ahead.

[kwanfan1818]

Dortmund is 45 minutes from Dusseldorf Airport on a direct train. So I guess Dortmund can have Worlds again.

The athletes still have to shlug their stuff from the terminal to the platform and wait for the connection -- I did it in 2004 -- and how does that affect whether or not someone's luggage is lost? What is the big difference between a private coach that picks them up from the terminal and a train?

For the athletes, London should be fine. For spectators, it's harder relying on public transportation that isn't scheduled around a skating event, but it's doable. It's easier having to make no connection at all, but that's not the case for all events, in Europe or in Asia, either.

[Jenny]

I can't imagine the athletes having much of an issue as they are used to traveling to events. If anything, this location is familiar to many (plus the coaches, officials etc) because they've been there for Cdns, or other events in southeastern Ontario and the GTA. Plus all the skaters who train in the northeastern US won't have to change timezones, or altitude

[allezfred]

I can't imagine the athletes having much of an issue as they are used to traveling to events. If anything, this location is familiar to many (plus the coaches, officials etc) because they've been there for Cdns, or other events in southeastern Ontario and the GTA.

Yes, I'm sure the Czechs, Germans, French and Japanese etc will be very familiar with (fake) London having been there for Canadians and other regional Ontario events.

Plus all the skaters who train in the northeastern US won't have to change timezones, or altitude

Has altitude been a problem at Worlds recently?

[Jenny]

Yes, I'm sure the Czechs, Germans, French and Japanese etc will be very familiar with (fake) London having been there for Canadians and other regional Ontario events.

Skate Canada was in Kitchener-Waterloo this season, and in recent years international events have also been held in Hamilton and Mississauga.

As for Cdns, there may not be any international skaters there, but there are coaches from other countries, and various ISU officials.

Has altitude been a problem at Worlds recently?

No not recently - I just threw it in based on memories of Skate America in Colorado Springs a few times, not to mention SLC Olys.

[Michael O'C]

Thank you Mr Thompson.



I don't know what it was like in Calgary but in Vancouver in 2001 you couldn't walk all the way around the arena either.

As for the potential for a major medical conference taking place at the same time. The local organizers of such events will know that Worlds is taking place at that time and will more than likely plan accordingly.

From memory, that was made worse in Calgary because the head of one of the tour groups complained about people walking past his group. Security then stopped people doing that. I don't think people were walking past during the skating.

[kwanfan1818]

Walking past his group on the concourse?

[marion853]

The vast majority of European figure skating fans tend not to travel Worlds outside of Europe. Sochi isn't going to factor into their decisions one way or the other.

There are direct flights from Europe to Toronto, but the skaters flying in are going to face a two hour coach trip to get to (fake) London after their flights and going back will have to leave 5-6 hours ahead of their flights to make sure they arrive on time at Pearson. Two hours from a proper international airport is just unacceptable for a host city for a World Championships.

Let's hope nobody's luggage gets lost.

They will not have to take a coach to get to London. They will simply transfer to another plane and fly into the London International Airport. Those of us who live in London do it all the time. Some of us will actually have to take 3 planes to get to and from Canadians in Victoria next year and it all seems quite normal. Please stop being so dramatic about the accessibilty to London!

[Carolla5501]

They will not have to take a coach to get to London. They will simply transfer to another plane and fly into the London International Airport. Those of us who live in London do it all the time. Some of us will actually have to take 3 planes to get to and from Canadians in Victoria next year and it all seems quite normal. Please stop being so dramatic about the accessibilty to London!

LOL!
The level of whining is amazing and then trying to say "it's all about the skaters" Umm.... I don't buy that. Skaters go to all kinds of strange places to compete and live. They will be just fine. Some of them actually have families in the "middle of no where" where there aren't ANY flights and they probably survive that. If they are that delicate that this is a major issue then I don't see how they survive any travel to any events.

Not to mention that flight schedules in June 2010 probably bear little if any resembalance to what we might or might now see in 2013.......