ISU Cancels 2020 World Figure Skating Championships

[mjb52]

Hate the idea of Worlds every two years, like the idea of having it the first week of March.

 

[Colonel Green]

Hate the idea of Worlds every two years, like the idea of having it the first week of March.

Having Worlds that early would make things harder on skaters doing split junior/senior, and reduce the downtime for skaters after the regional championships. I don’t see the benefit.

 

[starrynight]

The Isu will meet in Congress to discuss the possibility of holding the world championships every two years, alternating with the Europeans and 4cc,s, that way the worlds will be earlier and the main contenders can attend the 4cc, a directive in the pipeline.

Obviously a world championship would fall on an Olympic cycle or whether they propose an Olympic cycle to fall on an euro and 4cc year maybe better but might hamper top athletes to attend 4cc...

Lots of sports don’t have World Championships or World Cups every year. Swimming has them every second year. If anything it increases the prestige if they don’t happen every year.

 

[VGThuy]

No, I want a world championships every year. It's our Superbowl.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

Having Worlds that early would make things harder on skaters doing split junior/senior, and reduce the downtime for skaters after the regional championships. I don’t see the benefit.

Since it’s a winter sport I’d like to take it back to the days when they used to have it in February. And even in those days they still had Europeans and the North American championships before worlds and got it all in!

I’ve been complaining for a while about having worlds so late in the season when sometimes its already spring.

I was just reading again a few weeks ago about the 1961 tragedy when they were on their way to worlds in Prague on February 14.

 

[VGThuy]

I actually really like the schedule the way it is. IMO, I like having Worlds a few weeks after the last competition (even though I complain about the long break) because it really gets the contenders some breathing time to prepare for the competition. It makes for a more exciting competition AND the extra time may make it less predictable since you never know who can improve in the weeks in-between or whatever else can happen.

I didn't like it when the GPF was in February because it was too separated from the GP series, and I think the skaters seemed tired to peak for both although it could happen since we have seen skaters do well at both an Olympics and a Worlds in the past.

 

[judiz]

The NBA just suspended its season after two players tested positive.

 

[clairecloutier]

The Isu will meet in Congress to discuss the possibility of holding the world championships every two years, alternating with the Europeans and 4cc,s, that way the worlds will be earlier and the main contenders can attend the 4cc, a directive in the pipeline.

Obviously a world championship would fall on an Olympic cycle or whether they propose an Olympic cycle to fall on an euro and 4cc year maybe better but might hamper top athletes to attend 4cc...

What is the source for this info??

 

[aka_gerbil]

The Isu will meet in Congress to discuss the possibility of holding the world championships every two years, alternating with the Europeans and 4cc,s, that way the worlds will be earlier and the main contenders can attend the 4cc, a directive in the pipeline.

Obviously a world championship would fall on an Olympic cycle or whether they propose an Olympic cycle to fall on an euro and 4cc year maybe better but might hamper top athletes to attend 4cc...

That is one heck of a knee-jerk reaction to this one worlds being cancelled.

 

[Judy]

Where is he trapped in Italy? See if he can check out this...

Swiss Railways did not suspend trains to Italy, they only reduced the schedule. The trains are still running on main routes. Swiss-Italian border is still open as of today (don't know for how long). There are routes to Geneva and Zurich. have him get out of Italy to one of these major hubs and buy a ticket home, or use his other ticket for exachange/route change.

https://www.thelocal.ch/20200309/switzerland-border-with-italy-to-remain-open

Italian officials tell holidaymakers to 'end your travel and go home'

In a statement today the UK Foreign Office said British holidaymakers in Italy should fly home while they still can as increasing numbers of airlines cancel their flights in and out of the virus-hit country.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Unfortunately he has to fly to Canada. I am not sure .. North maybe? I am sure he will be ok .. but of course the outbreak there and the $ to stay are certainly a factor.

 

[Bellanca]

Lots of sports don’t have World Championships or World Cups every year. Swimming has them every second year. If anything it increases the prestige if they don’t happen every year.

Good Point. It would certainly help 4CC with its current prestigious struggle. Then again:

What is the source for this info??

Exactly. I wonder the same. Who or what is the source?

 

[Aussie Willy]

No, I want a world championships every year. It's our Superbowl.

But I want a golden goose!

 

[aftershocks]

Probably time to start a new thread with an appropriate headline.

As someone who has known many elite figure skaters, I feel really awful for those skaters who qualified and cannot compete this year.

It's very sad, since who knows what's going to happen in a year's time, but the C virus crisis has escalated so rapidly. I feel so badly for all the skaters.

Do we know whether the event locales will be pushed back, so that Montreal can host in 2021 and the next scheduled site host the following year, etc?

ETA:
I just now see @Colonel Green's suggestion on page 3, that if Worlds is not held later this year, then the ISU is more likely to reschedule the event in Montreal when the next event locale assignment is available for scheduling post 2022, In that way, plans in Sweden and France will not be impacted.

 

[aftershocks]

... there's no reason they couldn't use their new programs at the postponed Worlds.

Then which programs would be used at 2021 Worlds five months later? The same programs?

 

[Judy]

But I want a golden goose!

I think it would likely kill figure skating if they did that.

 

[Dobre]

I like late March. Selfishly, it works best for me personally. Plus, the off-season is long enough as it is.

I want new programs next season. As it is, we will probably be stuck with more rehashed ones since athletes will think to themselves that they haven't skated them at Worlds, especially the people who have had a lot of success with their material this season. But it's time to let a lot of programs go. (Plus five Singing in the Rains for the same weekend in the fall was enough. I do not think it should happen again). Also, really, Hanyu cannot skate Chopin five seasons, can he? (Don't answer that. I'm afraid I already know the answer). I am, of course, sad that Worlds is cancelled and that the scenario is one in which pushing the event back a month doesn't seem like an option. But October doesn't seem like a preferable alternative to accepting the loss & having a truly great pre-Olympic season.

 

[nickp]

Skate Canada is leaving the door slightly open to host the world championships in the fall good news for nbc and cbc

 

[peibeck]

I'm quite stunned that the idea of holding it behind closed doors doesn't even seem to have been considered.

Cynically, I think what was considered was that they won't get their insurance $$$ if the event happens without spectators.

And honestly, why have the event without spectators anyway? Audience reaction is (IMO) a crucial factor in watching most live sports.

 

[bardtoob]

I'm quite stunned that the idea of holding it behind closed doors doesn't even seem to have been considered.

They could hold it behind closed doors and still broadcast, and that makes total sense given how skating is consumed anyway.

 

[Maofan7]

I'm 59 years old and the paranoia and hysteria going in this country is mind boggling right now. People really don't have any common sense anymore do they? With all of the cancellations going on from the pros to high school you would think that the bubonic plague from the 14th century had made a comeback. People are stockpiling bath tissue like they expect to not leave their house for weeks. I'm all for containing this virus but people need to stop freaking out.

yep - whenever the spivs lose confidence in stocks and shares, they usually invest in gold. However, it looks like some entrepreneurs have spotted some new opportunities with the shortages in toilet paper and hand gel!

Boy, 13, sent home from school for selling squirts of hand sanitiser

A teenage 'Del Boy' (pictured) who capitalised on coronavirus fears by charging fellow pupils 50p a time to use hand sanitiser was suspended from school in Leeds for a day.

www.dailymail.co.uk

And check this out! Black market.....

Van driver fined £300 for stockpiled toilet roll

The driver was stopped and hit with a fine by officers from the Driver and Vehicles Standards Agency at the Blackwall Tunnel in London today.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[AnnM]

Today, of all days, Nous Sommes Tous Malades.

I actually knew what this meant because I had even started learning French via Duolingo to prepare for this trip!

 

[MacMadame]

Well Trump just suspended all travel to Europe. So that would’ve effectively canceled worlds in Montreal anyway.

Who travels from the US to Canada via Europe?

 

[ballettmaus]

Who travels from the US to Canada via Europe?

Well, he suspended travel from Europe but I'm sure Canada has airports.

 

[MacMadame]

Okay who travels from the US to Canada through Europe?

 

[Sasha'sSpins]

My heart hurts for the athletes and coaches who worked so hard to make it to Worlds. I especially feel for those athletes who might never make another Worlds. I guess for some of the skaters it might be best to keep their programs into the new season. Otherwise, how could they compete two different programs within weeks of each other? The ISU may decide to just keep the RD another season for the ice dancers. I'm very sorry too for the fans who will lose money over this.

 

[alj5]

I get it, but I don't like it.

 

[Judy]

Do you know that it wasn't considered?

It’s not the ISU’s decision to cancel it is Quebec’s decision.

 

[Judy]

Even if it considered holding the event behind closed doors, the government needed to think about the consequences of inviting skaters and officials from hotbed areas - Milan, South Korea, Japan, China - to Worlds. This is different than the NCAA.

If an outbreak occurred, this would be to blame, and the people who allowed this would face (deserved) hell from their constituents.

Very true. It hasn’t hit us hard yet but it seems clear that it’s transmitting pretty fast.

 

[Japanfan]

Skate Canada is leaving the door slightly open to host the world championships in the fall good news for nbc and cbc

As has been discussed in this thread or other ones, that's really not an option.

Skaters work on their programs in the summer, and the new season begins in the fall.

Let's just hope the world is in an okay enough state for life to go on as usual in the fall.

My heart hurts for the athletes and coaches who worked so hard to make it to Worlds. I especially feel for those athletes who might never make another Worlds.

Yes, it's sad. But the situation is going to impact a whole lot more people than athletes/skaters. For example, it could impact a whole lot of refugees who were supposed to fly out of war zones or refugee camps.

 

[misskarne]

Yes, it's sad. But the situation is going to impact a whole lot more people than athletes/skaters. For example, it could impact a whole lot of refugees who were supposed to fly out of war zones or refugee camps.

You do realise that just because people are upset about Worlds being cancelled it doesn't make them ignorant of the global situation, right? It's possible to be upset about more than one thing at a time.