But, as I have been saying for quite a while, that’s a very different thing from making Worlds the Olympic qualifier. Countries can choose to come or go reasonably freely when medals are all that is at stake. The Olympic qualifier would be actively trying to crowbar people there.
I haven't disagreed with this part- actually, when I offered up hypothetical situations on how to get around this in the fall of 2021, a few posters felt the need to express how trivial all of this talk was, as if figure skating fans never propose their own ideas.
My whole logic of it at that point was that you're either carrying 2019 Worlds earned entries into 2021 as it is, or you can just start fresh in a new season and use the seasons best list as it builds in the fall to determine spots. That avoids both carrying numbers from 2019 or a half-baked 2021 Worlds mess.
That said, as per my previous posts (here and elsewhere), my philosophy for this season has been that competitions should occur where it’s judged reasonably possible and safe. One may of course debate how true that is for any given competition. But if Sweden still wants to hold a world championship and there’s at least some foreign skaters who are willing/able to go and compete for medals, so be it.
(Sorry, the quoting is acting up) And I don't disagree with this, either. But you have to remember that many people were declaring the entire Grand Prix season dead as of September, and probably even early October: we got 4 events out of it. They were declaring the entire season 'pointless': we got Italy creating their own Grand Prix, Europe still being able to pull of a fair amount of events, a Russian Nationals that had quite possibly the three best performances back to back that we may ever see, a great Japanese Nationals, French skaters traveling outside the country so they could actually get a chance to compete, an entire virtual Canadian Challenge (and other smaller events), etc. Then we had people claiming US Nationals was DOA because of a lack of potential judges, but here we are with the event starting tomorrow. Does the instance of one skater testing positive mean the whole thing needs to be shut down? Does it mean they are irresponsible in some way? I personally say no. For all this talk of 'bubbles' and sports that have a lot of money, we still saw people on
teams training together in close quarters every day that tested positive (while the majority did not) and had to sit out for a few weeks (NBA, pro football, college football, even tennis). There's a chance of it happening whether you go to the ice rink or you go to the library, or whatever. Sitting locked at home is the only way anyone can confidently say otherwise, right? But certain activities we all know to be extreme risk, and I don't think anyone training for Worlds is planning to go to a bar every night in a city with lax rules or throwing house parties with a bunch of people who are probably doing the same in their own time, but you never know.
I'm still in the boat of seeing what happens, and I have no doubt the organizing committees would go above and beyond to ensure the highest level of safety. On top of that, I don't think any skaters would feel forced to go, whether it's an Olympic qualifier or not. I think they
want to and that other people are deciding they are unintelligent for thinking so. I obviously feel a little different about the risk associated getting from A to B, as we've seen above, and I don't think a plane, an airport where everyone has masks, and an Uber or other form of transportation is as extreme risk as some may suggest. JMO.
www.thestar.com
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) that the number of people ultimately refusing the vaccine will be low. I know there are people who would hold off on taking the vaccine until they see what side-effects crop up, and to see if cases/deaths drop due to the vaccine.
I really hope Skate Canada and the Sections can make the usual spring/summer competetions happen this year. It would be a blow at all levels if we have a repeat of the cancellations in 2020.
