ISU has cancelled 2021 Europeans, ISU Grand Prix Final, World Junior Synchro; Stockholm Worlds still on for now

[MsZem]

The track and field event going on right now is indoor too. Not the season for outdoor track and field

obviously! Unless you're near the equator.

 

[skategal]

The track and field event going on right now is indoor too. Not the season for outdoor track and field

I guess technically they never have to be inside.

They can just move their events between northern and southern hemispheres to wherever is having the best spring/summer weather.

 

[Gris]

ISU calendar for 2021/22 Grand Prix Calendar:
1. Skate America
Oct,22-24
2. Skate Canada
Oct, 29-31 (Vancouver)
3. Cup of China
Nov, 5-7
4. NHK Trophy
Nov, 12-14
5. Internationaux de France (Grenoble)
Nov, 19-21
6. Rostelecom Cup
Nov, 26-28 (Moscow)

ISU Grdand Prix Final
Dec, 9-12 (Osaka, Japan)

Asian Open Figure Skating Trophy (Oct, 13-17) is an official Olympic test event.


(info from the same Russian journalist's telegram channel
https://t.me/lapidarnst/830 )

The calendar is now published by ISU

Decisions of the Council - Update on ISU Event Calendar - International Skating Union

The ISU Council met on January 28, 2021 via an online meeting. Find out the decisions taken by the Council during the meeting here.

www.isu.org

Regarding Stockholm Worlds and Olympics qualification

The Council confirmed that the other pending ISU Events of the 2020/21 season remain scheduled as planned, subject to pandemic developments and no quarantine requirements and/or prohibitive / extensive entry restrictions:

the ISU World Figure Skating Championships remain scheduled as planned, to be held in Stockholm, Sweden on March 22-28, 2021. Since these Championships serve as a Qualification Competition for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, the Council will review the Olympic Qualification status at its next meeting. Depending on the actual entries received by the deadline of March 1, 2021, the ISU Council will evaluate and decide at that time whether and which changes to the Olympic qualification system could be necessary.

The next ISU meeting is on March 2nd.

Also the Synchro Worlds 2021 in Zagreb has been cancelled.

Due to the ongoing pandemic and detrimental consequences for the organizing and participating ISU Members, including organizational issues, travel restrictions, lack of training and preparation time and finally the confirmation from many ISU Members that they would not be able to attend, the Council decided that the the ISU World Synchronized Skating Championships 2021, scheduled to be held in Zagreb (CRO) on April 9-10, 2021 are cancelled.

 

[Dave of the North]

The only problems I foresee with this are:

1) It needs to be no-warnings. It would only take one person being irresponsible, especially if that person comes from a country where this is not under control, and suddenly the 'rona is being passed around like wildfire.

2) If the ISU made such a policy, it would need to have the balls to enforce it, since Russia will probably run out of warnings on Day 1.

ISU should call it the "Phil Hersh rule with the misskarne amendment". You guys would have to go in hiding for the rest of your lives if Japan was the one to break the rule.

 

[Lemonade20]

ISU should call it the "Phil Hersh rule with the misskarne amendment". You guys would have to go in hiding for the rest of your lives if Japan was the one to break the rule.

Right?! It doesn't matter what sport it is. We're still living in a dangerous time and I really hope that they do enforce the rules. It only takes one to ruin the event.

 

[skategal]

Just FYI the new travel restrictions for travelling to and from Canada will be announced by the government this afternoon.

I’m hoping athletes will be exempted.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trudeau-travel-measures-1.5892992

 

[missing]

Japan's women's national soccer team was withdrawn from a February competition due to CV19 in Japan.

Jan 28 (Reuters) - The Japanese women’s national team have withdrawn from next month’s SheBelieves Cup in Orlando, Florida, because of the current status of the COVID-19 pandemic in their country, U.S. Soccer said on Thursday.

The decision by the Japanese team, who are 10th in the FIFA women’s world rankings, comes after the death toll from the novel coronavirus in Japan topped 5,000 over the weekend.

So basically what the ISU announced yesterday was they won't make a final announcement (and quite possibly a final decision) until after their March 2nd meeting.

the ISU World Figure Skating Championships remain scheduled as planned, to be held in Stockholm, Sweden on March 22-28, 2021. Since these Championships serve as a Qualification Competition for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, the Council will review the Olympic Qualification status at its next meeting. Depending on the actual entries received by the deadline of March 1, 2021, the ISU Council will evaluate and decide at that time whether and which changes to the Olympic qualification system could be necessary [emphasis mine].

 

[sk8nlizard]

Tons of sports are holding international competitions right now, I don't know why this is such a drama with figure skating.

If it get's cancelled, it would certainly be because of travel issues and not because of the actual holding of the event.

Reading this thread, one gets the impression skaters are the most undiscipled and unprofessional people out there, in comparison to track and field athletes, soccer players, ski jumpers, alpine skiers, handball players, tennis players, ...

I think part of it is that we are on a figure skating message board that attracts passionate fans. Also, some fans are from countries that have essentially eradicated the virus so they feel strongly about how things should be done. However, Most countries are not that way, and competitions are still continuing Relatively safely. I understand where both sides are coming from, although I am on the side that World’s should happen. I also think if you ask most athletes they would agree. I also think that the fact that World’s were cancelled last year is putting a lot of pressure on the ISU to hold this year’s World’s.
Did the ISU say anything about tech minimums? I thought they were supposed to release more information after this meeting?

 

[mjb52]

@missing You have misread it. That is not what it says at all. It says that depending on the actual entries received, they will evaluate and decide whether changes to the Olympic qualification system could be necessary. Read it again.

So basically what the ISU announced yesterday was they won't make a final announcement (and quite possibly a final decision) until after their March 2nd meeting.

the ISU World Figure Skating Championships remain scheduled as planned, to be held in Stockholm, Sweden on March 22-28, 2021. Since these Championships serve as a Qualification Competition for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, the Council will review the Olympic Qualification status at its next meeting. Depending on the actual entries received by the deadline of March 1, 2021, the ISU Council will evaluate and decide at that time whether and which changes to the Olympic qualification system could be necessary [emphasis mine].

 

[Colonel Green]

The stuff about Olympic qualification is extremely irresponsible — rather than proactively allowing countries to decide whether it’s safe to go to Worlds without worrying about Olympic qualification, it’s essentially daring countries that have such concerns to not send anyone and if enough people do that they might revisit the issue.

 

[mjb52]

Or it is being responsible and saying that they are open to making changes if needed.

 

[Colonel Green]

Or it is being responsible and saying that they are open to making changes if needed.

No, it’s not responsible, because as things stand federations will feel pressure to go to Worlds because if they don’t they may end up missing Olympic qualification.

An approach that was actually about prioritizing health and safety would remove that pressure.

 

[tony]

Or maybe the ISU isn’t receiving a bunch of ‘what about us?’ emails from federations at this point. I know they are keeping in touch with other federations to see what the state of the country is, so I don’t see why a country like Canada would be left out of the equation in having their voices and concerns heard. But I believe there have been other fans that feel Worlds going ahead forces countries into a corner.

I don’t think it’s irresponsible to say everything will go as scheduled but we will address it if it becomes a problem.

For the people that keep bringing this up: what is the alternate? To immediately remove this as qualifying and then HOPE the world is better, not worse, in the fall? To push the ISU into the corner where they have to come up with an entire new international system of qualifying that might make it even more difficult for said countries to earn their spots? Or should everyone just get X amount of spots right now just because?

 

[Miezekatze]

I think part of it is that we are on a figure skating message board that attracts passionate fans. Also, some fans are from countries that have essentially eradicated the ***** so they feel strongly about how things should be done. However, Most countries are not that way, and competitions are still continuing Relatively safely. I understand where both sides are coming from, although I am on the side that World’s should happen. I also think if you ask most athletes they would agree. I also think that the fact that World’s were cancelled last year is putting a lot of pressure on the ISU to hold this year’s World’s.
Did the ISU say anything about tech minimums? I thought they were supposed to release more information after this meeting?

I also think some fans have this idea that things just have to be 100% fair for all athlethes, but that's just not going to happen this year.

For example with German handball, a few important team members of the German national team decided to not play at the championships (for example one of the national team members gave the reason: the kindergardens are closed and I have to help caring for my child, because my wife has to work full time in home office). The German team also did not do very well. In a team sport the impact of such a decision is comparable to a decision of a team not going to Worlds and risking Olympic spots for their country in figure skating, but I think in a pandemic athletes are going to take such decisions and they and everybody else have to accept the consequences.

 

[missing]

@missing You have misread it. That is not what it says at all. It says that depending on the actual entries received, they will evaluate and decide whether changes to the Olympic qualification system could be necessary. Read it again.

I understand that's how it is written, but I didn't misread it. To me the significant (and thus emphasized by me) part of the statement was the need to mention the March 1 deadline for actual entries.

My assumption is under ordinary circumstances, the ISU would have no doubts in late January about which countries would be entering their teams for a late March Worlds. This year, because of non-skating decisions like the Japan women's national soccer team being withdrawn, there are doubts, the difference between "entries" and "actual entries." My read is although Worlds is officially scheduled for March 22-28, until the "actual entries" are received by March 1, the event itself cannot be certain.

 

[mjb52]

ok. I guess anything could mean anything in this mad world if you want to decide words mean something other than what they actually say, sure, but what the sentence actually says is pretty clear.

 

[Karen-W]

What I am curious about is what the ISU decided with regard to the TES minimums.

 

[Colonel Green]

I also think some fans have this idea that things just have to be 100% fair for all athlethes, but that's just not going to happen this year.

Nothing is ever 100% fair.

But this is no ordinary time, as I think everyone should acknowledge. Just look at Anastasia Shpilevaya’s recent interview for what the stakes are if this goes awry.

 

[tony]

Nothing is ever 100% fair.

But this is no ordinary time, as I think everyone should acknowledge. Just look at Anastasia Shpilevaya’s recent interview for what the stakes are if this goes awry.

So then as I asked above, what is the other option? Since you're from Canada, I'm using Canada as the example here. Say they don't want to send skaters to a Worlds in March or even a delayed April or May situation. I think some posters are still going to run with the narrative that the Fed is being forced to send participants even if they come out and straight-up say they feel the safety regulations and precautions are adequate.

What if the situation in Canada gets better for a bit and then goes up again, just as it did before? Then somehow the ISU is supposed to cater to these situations at a later date with a completely revised plan that REALLY pushes it to a last-minute 'force you to go to the competition' scenario?

Or, as a poster straight-up said above, since the majority of the US and Canada is supposed to be vaccinated by September (and because of that, 'International travel should be safe'), should we just wait around for that while other countries may not be in that situation at all?

 

[mjb52]

I don't know what is going on with France, given all the issues with their Federation over the past year, but the idea that Canada and Japan are unable to advocate for themselves seems unlikely to me.

 

[tony]

I don't know what is going on with France, given all the issues with their Federation over the past year, but the idea that Canada and Japan are unable to advocate for themselves seems unlikely to me.

France has every intention of sending a team to Worlds, and they also understand it to still be the Olympic qualifier at this point. The early-on P/C stuff being a supposed sign of/voice of something else has absolute zero credibility.

 

[clairecloutier]

I don't know what is going on with France, given all the issues with their Federation over the past year, but the idea that Canada and Japan are unable to advocate for themselves seems unlikely to me.

Japan and Canada both have representatives on the ISU Council (Tatsuru Matsumura and Benoit Lavoie, respectively) that announced yesterday's decision about Worlds:

Council - International Skating Union

The International Skating Union is the international sport federation administering Ice Skating sports throughout the world.

www.isu.org

 

[Frau Muller]

Japan and Canada both have representatives on the ISU Council (Tatsuru Matsumura and Benoit Lavoie, respectively) that just announced this decision:

Council - International Skating Union

The International Skating Union is the international sport federation administering Ice Skating sports throughout the world.

www.isu.org

What decision? Just a list of officials.

 

[tony]

What decision? Just a list of officials.

Don't jump into the thread late you're in for a scolding -- linked a few posts above

Decisions of the Council - Update on ISU Event Calendar - International Skating Union

The ISU Council met on January 28, 2021 via an online meeting. Find out the decisions taken by the Council during the meeting here.

www.isu.org

 

[clairecloutier]

What decision? Just a list of officials.

I edited the post to be more clear that I meant yesterday's decision about Worlds continuing.

 

[Frau Muller]

Don't jump into the thread late -- linked a few posts above

Decisions of the Council - Update on ISU Event Calendar - International Skating Union

The ISU Council met on January 28, 2021 via an online meeting. Find out the decisions taken by the Council during the meeting here.

www.isu.org

Don’t assume that you’re the only Totum Factotum of FSU!

I thought that Claire had new news...such as Canada & Japan pulling out.

 

[Colonel Green]

So then as I asked above, what is the other option? Since you're from Canada, I'm using Canada as the example here. Say they don't want to send skaters to a Worlds in March or even a delayed April or May situation. I think some posters are still going to run with the narrative that the Fed is being forced to send participants even if they come out and straight-up say they feel the safety regulations and precautions are adequate.

What if the situation in Canada gets better for a bit and then goes up again, just as it did before? Then somehow the ISU is supposed to cater to these situations at a later date with a completely revised plan that REALLY pushes it to a last-minute 'force you to go to the competition' scenario?

Or, as a poster straight-up said above, since the majority of the US and Canada is supposed to be vaccinated by September (and because of that, 'International travel should be safe'), should we just wait around for that while other countries may not be in that situation at all?

We really cannot know what the fall will be like. We can hope, based on vaccination projections, that it will be better. But if it’s not, then you’re getting into questions about whether the Winter Olympics will happen, which makes the whole thing somewhat moot.

Figure skating is at least in an easier position than summer sports in that participants are overwhelmingly from rich countries in North America, Europe and East Asia that are on the leading edge of vaccination.

The ISU has to make decisions based on whether it’s safe now, and it should be applying the same standards that lead to the cancellation of most of the rest of the season already. Health and safety is particularly important when large numbers of the competitors are children.

 

[Frau Muller]

I edited the post to be more clear that I meant yesterday's decision about Worlds continuing.

Thanks, claire. I thought that you had brand-new news!

How utterly rude of certain jerks to assume that they’re the only intelligent one on FSU.

 

[tony]

Thanks. I thought that you had brand-new news! How utterly rude of certain jerks to assume that they’re the only intelligent one on FSU.

I mean, I don't want to derail this thread with a bunch of back-and-forth but it was really tongue-in-cheek denoted by the (as I'm not even the one who posted the original ISU link above), and second-- you might want to re-read that last part and check some of your own posts.

 

[Frau Muller]

I mean, I don't want to derail this thread with a bunch of back-and-forth but it was really tongue-in-cheek denoted by the (as I'm not even the one who posted the original ISU link above), and second-- you might want to re-read that last part and check some of your own posts.

Got it. Perhaps you can learn to assume the best in other people.