ISU statement on Mariah Bell and Eun soo Lim

[Amantide]

Raf was clear about this, in his Russian way of saying things. Anyway, basically what he says is:

a. Each skater has a precise trajectory for their jumps, and mariah was doing hers.
b. Mariah did nothing wrong
c. These incidents happens all the time in FS.
d. The adults (we all know who's he ref. to) are the morons.

Case closed.

 

[jmtfti]

By the way, I checked out that CBC Olympics Instagram Story another poster mentioned and here's the voiceover report it presents on this incident, with footage of the contact playing and a banner reading "Tonya Harding 2.0?" over the top:

"There are Tonya Harding-like accusations coming out of the World Figure Skating Championships. During practice before the short program, there was contact between Bell, who's 22, and Lim, who's 16."

I'd be happy to know if they presented more context on TV, assuming they covered it there as well, but the fact that this is what they highlight for their social users doesn't give me a great deal of confidence.

 

[Vagabond]

I actually do see some parallels between Yuna Kim's mother and Tonya Harding's.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

I doubt it was intentional, but it was really careless from Bell to skate so close to cause an injury, because she definitely must have noticed the other skater and did do anything... Bell was at fault here, IMO.

LMAOOO what about the other injuries / crashes in practices last week?

How come you aren't blaming the Italian or anything.

Cherry picking at its finest. lol

James was really hit.

These happen ALL the time sweets.

Bell was in the right of way.

She has the ice.

 

[CaliSteve]

LMAOOO what about the other injuries / crashes in practices last week?

How come you aren't blaming the Italian or anything.

Cherry picking at its finest. lol

James was really hit.

These happen ALL the time sweets.

Bell was in the right of way.

She has the ice.

And Bell did not realize she hit Ensoo.

 

[Meoima]

Did you not read the merciless articles written about Mariah that accused her of stabbing and kicking Eunsoo. Yes it was an accident but it’s because of her agency’s reaction to the accident that people feel the need to point out that technically the accident is Eunsoo’s fault.

Technically the accident should not be accounted for Eunsoo. She did try to stay away and stayed close to the boards. She knew not to disturb other’s run though. I could not see how closer she could get to the boards more than where she was.
It was just a minor accident and they should have moved on.
I do agree her agency was not right to accuse Mariah of such thing, and for them to blow it up that way. But Eunsoo is still a child and should not be seen as the director behind her agency. Whatever malicious her agency has been doing should not be accounted for what she does on the ice. It is fine for people to criticize that agency. But to criticize a child whose English communication is at the average level, it is just not so right to me.
I met Eunsoo before and I talked with her and she was just this shy kid with bare minimum understanding of English communication. Just fed up with people talking like she’s all the wrong one here.

 

[VGThuy]

Technically, it should. Some times good people can be wrong. IMO, if this was a personal injury case and Lim was the injured party, Bell would successfully argue going by skating custom and the facts that Lim was contributory negligent and was more "at fault" despite her being the injured party. The only reason people are saying Lim was more at fault was because people were quick to assign blame to Bell in the first place thus mischaracterized the whole incident. Once people saw the footage, they realized it was not Bell who was in the wrong. Yet, many online still have not let it go and misconstrued the whole practice etiquette because they still want to assign blame to Bell. One can be close to boards, but they still need to watch where the skater with the right-of-way is going. You know don't know if that skater has some choreography at that section of the boards. Hell, even if she didn't, you still move out of her way. In this case, the injury was minor, nobody intended to do anything, and both skaters thought they had enough space between them.

 

[Spun Silver]

Technically the accident should not be accounted for Eunsoo. She did try to stay away and stayed close to the boards. She knew not to disturb other’s run though. I could not see how closer she could get to the boards more than where she was.
It was just a minor accident and they should have moved on.
I do agree her agency was not right to accuse Mariah of such thing, and for them to blow it up that way. But Eunsoo is still a child and should not be seen as the director behind her agency. Whatever malicious her agency has been doing should not be accounted for what she does on the ice. It is fine for people to criticize that agency. But to criticize a child whose English communication is at the average level, it is just not so right to me.
I met Eunsoo before and I talked with her and she was just this shy kid with bare minimum understanding of English communication. Just fed up with people talking like she’s all the wrong one here.

I think most (not all) posters have been careful not to blame Eunsoo for this blowing up into an International Incident. They are simply pointing out, against those who are accusing Mariah of attacking Eunsoo, that Mariah did nothing wrong and Eunsoo should have gotten out of her way, jumping over the boards if need be. Eunsoo is a 16-year-old kid and a wonderful skater and was probably totally wrapped up in preparing to compete. It's her agency that is at fault.

 

[shine]

I have also heard rumours that Eunsoo's mother is her agent? IF that's true I might have a different opinion about how much direct influence Eunsoo herself might have had on this whole thing blowing up.

 

[UGG]

Technically the accident should not be accounted for Eunsoo. She did try to stay away and stayed close to the boards. She knew not to disturb other’s run though. I could not see how closer she could get to the boards more than where she was.
It was just a minor accident and they should have moved on.
I do agree her agency was not right to accuse Mariah of such thing, and for them to blow it up that way. But Eunsoo is still a child and should not be seen as the director behind her agency. Whatever malicious her agency has been doing should not be accounted for what she does on the ice. It is fine for people to criticize that agency. But to criticize a child whose English communication is at the average level, it is just not so right to me.
I met Eunsoo before and I talked with her and she was just this shy kid with bare minimum understanding of English communication. Just fed up with people talking like she’s all the wrong one here.

The problem is that no one should have ever been “blamed” in the first place. Accidents like this happen all the time. Unfortunately since Mariah was accused of deliberate assault and battery by Eunsoo’s agency, it’s not wrong of anyone to point out that technically, Eunsoo was in Mariah’s way and was technically wrong. It’s a fact. It doesn’t mean that she is not a nice person.

Just curious were you ever fed up with the fake assault and battery claims and blatant lies and online bullying against Mariah online?

 

[natsulian]

Raf recently held an interview in which he talked about Mariah’s situation and about how he knows her best.

Key Points:
- Knows everything that goes on in his rink, cameras are everywhere, and he knows, as he said “my girls best”
- Hates the involvement of other adults, especially parents/media during practices, so the scandal was an eye roll for him and he was more concentrated on their performances
- Said that Mariah had the right of way and he doesn’t know why Lim didn’t move away when Bell did her choreography because she’s been doing the same thing for months
- Wanted Bell to not slow down on her jumps, especially near the boards so that’s why she “got into her tracks” a little bit more than usual at that practice
- The comment about Mariah being slow during her Free now makes sense now... she was VERY nervous because of the boards (this is probably gonna take awhile to get over)

 

[Meoima]

The problem is that no one should have ever been “blamed” in the first place. Accidents like this happen all the time. Unfortunately since Mariah was accused of deliberate assault and battery by Eunsoo’s agency, it’s not wrong of anyone to point out that technically, Eunsoo was in Mariah’s way and was technically wrong. It’s a fact. It doesn’t mean that she is not a nice person.

Just curious were you ever fed up with the fake assault and battery claims and blatant lies and online bullying against Mariah online?

Nah I had it up with the Korean attack when it was Yuna vs Adelina. So I am not on their side. Very sorry that Mariah had to suffer those netizen.
But I do not agree that people say Eunsoo “should have been careful to not get hurt”, technically she did stay near the boards and she was almost walking, did not bother anyone. She knew to stay out of run though. Many skaters do the same and they do not get hurt. Technically I do not think anyone was wrong here, aside from that agency.

 

[VGThuy]

Being by the boards doesn't guarantee you're out of anybody's way during their run-through, as this incident shows. You have to watch where the other skating is moving and move out of their way. We know programs are choreographed to utilize the entire ice surface and often times, it calls for skaters to move close to the boards, especially if they're prepping for jumps. If Mariah didn't have the right-of-way and going through her official run-through of her program, you may have a point, but that was not the case.

 

[Skittl1321]

Being by the boards does not at all mean being out of the way. TONS of skaters skate close to the boards at various times of their programs.

 

[skateboy]

Technically the accident should not be accounted for Eunsoo. She did try to stay away and stayed close to the boards. She knew not to disturb other’s run though. I could not see how closer she could get to the boards more than where she was.

Just fed up with people talking like she’s all the wrong one here.

If we're speaking "technically," then yes, Eunsoo was in the way of Mariah's run through.

No one has said that Eunsoo did it on purpose. I believe (and I think most, if not all, of us feel the same) that she was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Had Eunsoo been really paying attention, she would have gotten herself to almost any other place on the ice, than where she was (as were all of the other skaters on the ice at the time).

 

[Tinami Amori]

Mariah could have edged in a little deeper from the boards seeing Eun-soo standing in her way at the boards.
Eun-soo could have kept her eye on a skater who had the right of way, and yet was not watching out.
But they did not.... oh, bad girls!.. ... it was just a small cut, covered by bandage.... get off the ice, one say something to other, say "oops, sorry"..... case closed... both went on skating both programmes. Skaters had worst injuries in warm-ups, cuts blood punctures... and nobody died and they skated and some won medals.

 

[screech]

Well ATS made some claims related to the bullying that are easily disprovable- that Mariah got an official warning from someone (the rink?), that they had to be seperated for training sessions, and that they had to be seperated in the locker room.

"Bullying" can also be a matter of perspective. When I was a skater, another girl and I always used to playfully tease each other. One day her older sister overheard the teasing coming from me only, went to her parents (who were the presidents of the skating club) who then accused me of bullying the other girl, and insisted we no longer interact and separated us in the change room (there weren't any other sessions for our level to separate us). Her parents would not listen to either of us regarding the reality of the situation.

 

[4rkidz]

It reminds me of the last Olympics in short-track speed skating. Kim Boutin from Canada won the bronze mdal afther the skater from South Korea had been disqualified. Boutin received death threats on her social media. South Korean fandom is really something...

And before that against Elise Christy at the previous Olympics again from the Korean fans death threats etc

 

[Deleted member 40371]

And before that against Elise Christy at the previous Olympics again from the Korean fans death threats etc

Death treats against anyone is bad, however Christy manages to get DQed very easily. The problem with christy’s actions are that it also causes someone else to crash and lose the medal they have worked very hard. Also, ISU does not allow a redo of finals ( unless for very usual circumstances).

 

[4rkidz]

Death treats against anyone is bad, however Christy manages to get DQed very easily. The problem with christy’s actions are that it also causes someone else to crash and lose the medal they have worked very hard. Also, ISU does not allow a redo of finals ( unless for very usual circumstances).

That’s irrelevant though, I’ve been a short track official and any DQ is not typically on purpose it’s a skater with issues under pressure not an ill intent and agreed she deserved to be dq at the Olympics but NOBODY ever deserves death threats from “fans”.

 

[Deleted member 40371]

That’s irrelevant though, I’ve been a short track official and any DQ is not typically on purpose it’s a skater with issues under pressure not an ill intent and agreed she deserved to be dq at the Olympics but NOBODY ever deserves death threats from “fans”.

As I said nobody deserves death treats. But in Christie’s case she manages to get in trouble very easily, it is not just 2 olympics but also several world championships as well. It is also similar to last Olympics were Chinese athletes for disproportionately got DQed. It is because they are being hyper aggressive.

 

[Tinami Amori]

Can someone please remind me the situation, that took place back in time when Mao Asada was actively competing and there was an issue during warm up or practice at a major event, where Korean ladies complained that Japanese ladies interfering with their practice and intimidating them (that's all i remember, if correct at all..).

 

[shine]

So is ATS ever going to back up their accusations that Mariah bullied and was being racist toward Eunsoo? Those are very substantial claims. Are we expected to just let this one quietly slip and eventually forget??

 

[Meoima]

Can someone please remind me the situation, that took place back in time when Mao Asada was actively competing and there was an issue during warm up or practice at a major event, where Korean ladies complained that Japanese ladies interfering with their practice and intimidating them (that's all i remember, if correct at all..).

Not just Mao but all Japanese ladies during that time got the same accusation from Miki to Akiko and Fumie. It seems to me that ATS is too eager over these kinds of accusations.

 

[ballettmaus]

But I do not agree that people say Eunsoo “should have been careful to not get hurt”, technically she did stay near the boards and she was almost walking, did not bother anyone. She knew to stay out of run though. Many skaters do the same and they do not get hurt. Technically I do not think anyone was wrong here, aside from that agency.

I don't know why you continue to argue this when Lim did clearly not stay out of Bell's way. She was in Bell's trajectory and that is not staying out of anyone's way.
Staying close to the boards is not the only thing she can do. She can also speed up and scramble out of the way or stop entirely, press herself against the boards or as someone suggested in another thread, hop onto the boards. That doesn't mean she's to blame for what happened, it simply means that she did not do everything she could have done to stay out of Mariah's way.

 

[Spun Silver]

Not just Mao but all Japanese ladies during that time got the same accusation from Miki to Akiko and Fumie. It seems to me that ATS is too eager over these kinds of accusations.

Really? How unfair. And why? Is it good for business to rile up fans? What a horrible business practice. I'm disappointed in Yu Na.

 

[Meoima]

I don't know why you continue to argue this when Lim did clearly not stay out of Bell's way. She was in Bell's trajectory and that is not staying out of anyone's way.
Staying close to the boards is not the only thing she can do. She can also speed up and scramble out of the way or stop entirely, press herself against the boards or as someone suggested in another thread, hop onto the boards. That doesn't mean she's to blame for what happened, it simply means that she did not do everything she could have done to stay out of Mariah's way.

Gezz most skaters would do the same, just stay near the board and they are safe. It was unlucky Eunsoo got hit and her agency acted so badly. But it is funny people say "they should do everything they could etc" while most skaters would just "hey it is not my run-though I should just stay near the boards". Some skaters still do practice during other run-through and compared to Eunsoo who literally walked on ice it's funny to say she did not try to stay out of the way. They practiced on the same rink for a season you would say she did not know to do that during Mariah's run through? it was unlucky but my point is that she DID know to stay out of the way.

 

[Meoima]

Really? How unfair. And why? Is it good for business to rile up fans? What a horrible business practice. I'm disappointed in Yu Na.

If I recall correctly, it happened during 4CC 2009. Yuna told Korean TV that she felt uneased during practice and that some (Japanese) skaters were in her way. She did not specify who were that but the Korean fans were mad and made videos of their practice.
I watched the videos and thought the accusations were too much and maybe just misunderstanding, but it was such a long time ago now the videos on Youtube are all gone. Also, one fan told me it was during Miki Ando's run through so she had the right way.
It is quite sad to say as I liked Yuna but I think ATS agency is not really good at handling this kind of situation. Now I am afraid Eunsoo's chance of going abroad and getting support from NA coaches are being limited to a minimum level. The girl is still a kid and has a bright future but her agency did her such a great harm.

 

[skateboy]

Eunsoo was actually not standing "at the boards" while Mariah was running her program. Eunsoo was slowly skating forward, not looking around her. While I feel sure she did not do it on purpose, that's an incredibly neglectful thing to do while other competitors are skating to their music... especially at Worlds!

 

[Meoima]

Eunsoo was actually not standing "at the boards" while Mariah was running her program. Eunsoo was slowly skating forward, not looking around her. While I feel sure she did not do it on purpose, that's an incredibly neglectful thing to do while other competitors are skating to their music... especially at Worlds!

She was very close to the boards. I would say she did think of staying out of the way as she was too close to the boards. And of course, she did not do it on purpose, to get hurt? Nonsense.
If anything, her agency has jumped to a conclusion too soon, by doing that they have sabotaged her chance and put Mariah in a bad light. No win situation for both girls.