2016 ISU Congress Highlights - by Klaus-Reinhold Kany, Ice Skating International: Online

[Visaliakid]

This is by far the most comprehensive report on any previous ISU Congress I have ever read. It provides a comprehensive overview and background on the elections; why and how Didier lost support of the delegates; how all the candidates for President were viewed by congress members that determined the outcome, and why Dijkema (pronounced: “Dike ma” with a stress on the first syllable) was elected.

The following caught my eye: "Another step to openness, at the next Congress in 2018 in Sevilla, Spain media persons will be accredited, and there were also discussions about a live stream of the whole congress."

Thank you to Klaus-Reinhold Kany for this great write-up! A MUST READ!

http://www.iceskatingintnl.com/archive/features/2016 ISU Congress.htm

 

[kwanfan1818]

There are errors in Kany's write-ups. Anonymous judging did not start with the new system: it started with the interim system, which was still grading with OBO, was used through 2004 championships.

Also, it is not true that skaters can no longer be held. According to Communication 2017, the new wording is:

A Skater who has competed in any ISU Championships, ISU Event and/or International Competition for any ISU Member and who intends to compete in the future for another ISU Member needs a permit from the ISU Member he currently represented in the past, which permit shall not unreasonably be denied.

(emphasis mine)

The ISU Council decides whether denial is "unreasonable": Rule 109.5 has been changed to say:

If special circumstances so warrant the Council may waive the citizenship/residency or the permit requirement and/or the waiting periods according to paragraphs 2.a) and c) above.

In exceptional cases the Council itself may enter a Competitor for a specific event. A Competitor entered by the ISU does not count in the quota of the country of his citizenship or residence.

Nothing to define "unreasonable," like length of time, or like having to pay, which would have been prohibited by one of the German proposals that was obviously rejected, and since the ISU was perfectly fine with Gailhaguet putting a price on Massot's head, it's clear that they consider this reasonable.

So,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98AJUj-qxHI&feature=youtu.be&t=3m50s

Just with the words rearranged. The ISU should be brought to court.

Also, the new 12-month residency requirement, if it's up to the new countries to decide whether the skater is a resident, ie, give them a year-long visa to stay, or, like in the EU, where fellow EU citizens can establish residency within the EU, then what was the reason for the change, other than cosmetic? If it means physical residency, that's fine for Russia, Germany, Canada, the US, Italy, and a few other countries -- like France, Estonia -- where there are high-enough-level coaches in all disciplines, where a skater or team can train for a year until the residency requirement is covered before decamping to Moscow or Detroit. (I don't list China, because they don't create partnerships with non-Chinese skaters.) If physical residency is the requirement, it's a good thing the Korean Pairs and Dance teams are already set, so that if they qualify spots, the Korean government can grant them citizenship for the 2018 Olympics.

 

[Sylvia]

@kwanfan1818, the link to ISU Communication 2017 in your post is wrong (Talking Heads' "same as it ever was" lyric comes later ) and can be found here: http://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/ind...minimum-tes-for-2017-isu-championships.98786/

 

[kwanfan1818]

Thank you @Sylvia -- I corrected it.

 

[Theoreticalgirl]

Re: Music

There are rule changes for music: Skaters shall no longer bring their music on CDs, but deliver it only in an electronic way. But this rule needs more technical expertise before being mandatory.
​

What could possibly go wrong with digital music in a big, acoustically awful arena? Quick, grab Neil Young—I think I found a new opportunity for Pono!

Joking aside, yes, this needs lots of specs: bitrate, LUFS/RMS, and file type requirements, not to mention metadata tagging, file delivery and transmission, to say the least.