Though I do question the fairness of the points under normal circumstances, given that countries can automatically send three entries to 4CC (assuming they have the minimums) while countries must qualify spots for Euros. I'm sure the FFSG would love to send more than one guy to Euros this season! Unfortunately, they can't.
A few years back, I did an analysis here of the places for the four strongest Feds at 4C's (CHN, USA, JPN, CAN) and in only a couple of cases in the history of 4C's until that time-- at least one was Japanese Men -- would the nation have had two spots instead of three, and in all cases, they would have gotten back the third spot the next season. And that was with many of the top skaters skipping 4C's.
For the rest of the nations, TES minimums, which are low for Euros/4C's/OWG, have eliminated most of the (extra)/competitors. In the case of AUS, the outlying top skaters would have been there anyway. Occasionally, there have been two competitive skaters, like two women for AUS and two men for PHI, but they would have qualified two anyway. And, like for many Euros nations, a strong competitor, like Kerry of AUS, would place high enough to ensure that an up-and-comer would have a second spot.
At the bottom of the WS and SB lists, which is where nearly all marginal competitors end up -- and, again, most have been eliminated through TES minimums -- there is little to be gained from SB and WS earned at 4C's. There is an edge case where a new team getting any WS points on the board keeps them from being unseeded, or a SB gets them a GP substitution spot for the following year. The single skater/team that qualifies for Worlds would qualify for Worlds anyway; the extra would not.
It's at the top or middle that those championship SB's and WS points are critical, the former for non-Worlds particpants in next year's GP selection, and the latter for Worlds seeding and next season's GP seeding. Some of the OWG skaters don't go to Worlds, and their subs, who would compete at 4C's, need those seeding points for Worlds.
Extra,marginal participants at 4C's doesn't equal no 4C's Championship WS points when WS at Euros are awarded.
I don't have a snapshot of the last pre-cv SB lists after 4C's to see what percentage of skaters have their highest SB's before Worlds from Euros/4C's, so I can't speak to the relative impact on the SB list. Skaters training
in outside Europe and Russia have a timezone/proximity challenge for CS events in which to earn SB's, and skaters from Euro nations are often the appointed alternates for CoR and TEB, which give more chances for earning SB's, something generally more sparse for 4C's countries members, due to cost, travel time, acclimation, re-acclimation, and impact on the skaters' training schedules, especially for those who have lesser Fed support, like Carillo, the men from the Philippines, and the last time I heard, neither the Australian and New Zealand Feds aren't swimming in travel budgets.
, this article was published before South Africa's Matthew Samuels competed at Nebelhorn Trophy:
