ISU Statement on Russia's war against Ukraine - Participation in international competitions of Skaters and Officials from Russia and Belarus

[Hedwig]

Have you seen Italian Nationals? now THAT was a competition. I like how many countries stepped up this year to develop a pairs program - it is not easy since pairs take up so much space in an ice-rink and you cannot just train them among single skaters - but nevertheless we will see even better pair skating in the next couple of years because of this.

 

[caseyedwards]

The absence of Russian Pairs in figure skating is very real. As is the presence of Miura/Kihara.

Mediocre

 

[On My Own]

Mediocre

Yes, that's what I think whenever I see Tarasova/Morozov's faces.

 

[Bigbird]

Yes to all this, but are they doping? How do they have the bodies they do? How are they controling the growth of the ladies so strictly? How is it that Valieva has morphed into a new person in a matter of months, not to mention Trusova. Elilizaveta Khud. seems to have miraculously shrunk to size zero and can barely control her skates. What gives? Trusova seems to have imploded after the games and is she even 20 yet? It's all very strange. Sigh. They are a curiousity at best. I enjoy watching them compete by themselves. Having them engage with the rest of the world would feel awkward. IMHO.

 

[caseyedwards]

Yes, that's what I think whenever I see Tarasova/Morozov's faces.

They’re lovely people

 

[caseyedwards]

Yes to all this, but are they doping? How do they have the bodies they do? How are they controling the growth of the ladies so strictly? How is it that Valieva has morphed into a new person in a matter of months, not to mention Trusova. Elilizaveta Khud. seems to have miraculously shrunk to size zero and can barely control her skates. What gives? Trusova seems to have imploded after the games and is she even 20 yet? It's all very strange. Sigh. They are a curiousity at best. I enjoy watching them compete by themselves. Having them engage with the rest of the world would feel awkward. IMHO.

Why is bad for Russians but fine for American lipinski and Hughes?!

 

[Bigbird]

Why is bad for Russians but fine for American lipinski and Hughes?!

I said what I said.

 

[On My Own]

They’re lovely people

Yep, that's why they participated in genocide rallies!

 

[caseyedwards]

I said what I said.

But it’s acting like it’s new when it’s old

 

[caseyedwards]

Yep, that's why they participated in genocide rallies!

That’s totally false in many ways

 

[On My Own]

That’s totally false in many ways

Make Tarasova/Morozov Great. Not "Again" because they never were.

 

[Orm Irian]

How do they have the bodies they do? How are they controling the growth of the ladies so strictly?

We know how Tutberidze does it, at least: head games. She gives a large group of competitively-minded girls selected for small frames to start with no guidance whatsoever in the kind of healthy eating they need to do to fuel their bodies properly for athletic work (the infamous "I don't control what they eat" [paraphrased]), while at the same time monitoring their weight gram by gram and not even day by day but hour by hour, relating every accomplishment and potential future accomplishment back to their ability to control it, and blaming every mistake and failure on their inability to control it, over and over and over again.

Unless they have outside voices helping them to resist and treat their bodies well, this creates an environment where the girls feel they need to starve themselves the vast majority of the time, except for when they shove down "bad" calorie-dense food so they have enough energy to get through training without passing out (e.g. Medvedeva and her one chocolate bar a day). So they constantly feel guilty for eating "bad things" that might make them gain weight, or "too much" because they weigh a bit more after eating lunch than they did before. We've seen that she can get them to the point where they treat water as a "bad" food. And they're also not getting the nutrients they need to grow and develop muscles and strength and endurance, or even just to think clearly - think of ordinary kids who go to school hungry and how hard they find it to learn, and now add a dayful of athletic labour on top of that, plus dehydration. Day after day after day after day. While Tutberidze keeps up the mind games.

She doesn't need to dope them to keep their bodies small. She gets inside their heads and gets them to do the work for her, and then blames them for lack of self-discipline yet again when biology finally overrides starvation and they start to grow and change shape anyway, exactly the way she knew they would. It's terrifying and grotesque and completely awful, but it doesn't require doping at al.

 

[Firedancer]

The ISU will decide on participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes at a meeting in June or October:
https://twitter.com/insidethegames/status/1644294860294311938?s=46&t=t-qfJxDjad9-j4B-GsMqGg

 

[Bigbird]

We know how Tutberidze does it, at least: head games. She gives a large group of competitively-minded girls selected for small frames to start with no guidance whatsoever in the kind of healthy eating they need to do to fuel their bodies properly for athletic work (the infamous "I don't control what they eat" [paraphrased]), while at the same time monitoring their weight gram by gram and not even day by day but hour by hour, relating every accomplishment and potential future accomplishment back to their ability to control it, and blaming every mistake and failure on their inability to control it, over and over and over again.

Unless they have outside voices helping them to resist and treat their bodies well, this creates an environment where the girls feel they need to starve themselves the vast majority of the time, except for when they shove down "bad" calorie-dense food so they have enough energy to get through training without passing out (e.g. Medvedeva and her one chocolate bar a day). So they constantly feel guilty for eating "bad things" that might make them gain weight, or "too much" because they weigh a bit more after eating lunch than they did before. We've seen that she can get them to the point where they treat water as a "bad" food. And they're also not getting the nutrients they need to grow and develop muscles and strength and endurance, or even just to think clearly - think of ordinary kids who go to school hungry and how hard they find it to learn, and now add a dayful of athletic labour on top of that, plus dehydration. Day after day after day after day. While Tutberidze keeps up the mind games.

She doesn't need to dope them to keep their bodies small. She gets inside their heads and gets them to do the work for her, and then blames them for lack of self-discipline yet again when biology finally overrides starvation and they start to grow and change shape anyway, exactly the way she knew they would. It's terrifying and grotesque and completely awful, but it doesn't require doping at al.

Agree with everything here with two exceptions the positive tests and their legacy of instituitionalized doping. ETs use of these methods are not new, just barbaric. The nature of life in Russia is just a grand hunger games. I don't think that other foreign athletes can even compete with that mentality. I said what I said.

 

[Karen-W]

The ISU will decide on participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes at a meeting in June or October:
https://twitter.com/insidethegames/status/1644294860294311938?s=46&t=t-qfJxDjad9-j4B-GsMqGg

Guess we need to make sure we get organized and are contacting everyone single member of the ISU Council ahead of their June executive meeting to let them know what we think of allowing Russian and Belarusian athletes back into competition.

 

[Sylvia]

List of current ISU Council members (ETA that biographies are linked for each person from this page): https://www.isu.org/inside-isu/about/meet-the-team/isu-council/members

Jae Youl Kim
Republic of Korea
President
2022 - present

President - International Skating Union

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

www.isu.org

Tron Espeli
Norway
1st Vice President - Speed Skating
2016 - present

Benoit Lavoie
Canada
2nd Vice President - Figure Skating
2022 - present

Suwanna Silpa-Archa
Thailand
Speed Skating
2018 - present

Sergio Anesi
Italy
Speed Skating
2016 - present

Stoytcho Stoytchev
Bulgaria
Speed Skating
2016 - present

Albert Hazelhoff
Netherlands
Speed Skating
2022 - present

Alexander Kibalko
Russia
Speed Skating
2022 - present

Patricia St. Peter
U.S.A
Figure Skating
2016 - present

Tatsuro Matsumura
Japan
Figure Skating
2018 - present

Susanna Rahkamo
Finland
Figure Skating
2022 - present

György Elek
Hungary
Figure Skating
2022 - present

Maria Teresa Samaranch
Spain
Figure Skating
2016 - present

Eric Radford
Canada
Athletes Commission
2022 - present

Online contact form: https://www.isu.org/inside-isu/about/contact-us

International Skating Union
Avenue Juste-Olivier 17
1006 Lausanne
Switzerland

 

[Pink Cats]

Maybe someone could come up with a list that hits all the high points that we could use as an aid in writing an email

 

[ChelleC]

They’re lovely people

Friendly reminder that Tarasova and Morozov were at the Z Rally in Moscow last March.

They are not lovely people.

 

[caseyedwards]

Friendly reminder that Tarasova and Morozov were at the Z Rally in Moscow last March.

They are not lovely people.

I don’t know if they were under threat of jail or death

 

[SidelineSkater]

I don’t know if they were under threat of jail or death

Or you don't know if they weren't threatened and wanted to go just for fun?

 

[On My Own]

I don’t know if they were under threat of jail or death

Putin must have really loved Candyman if he wanted T/M to participate in the Z rally so much that he threatened them with death but didn't threaten any of the other Russian skaters apart from Adelina Sotnikova.

 

[Karen-W]

One point that I think very STRONGLY needs to be made is the behavior of Russian FANS at various sporting events around the world - how the ISU can only exercise some sort of control over the Russian/Belarusian athletes, officials, coaches and support personnel, but they cannot control (short of kicking them out of venues) what the fans will do if Russian skaters are allowed to compete. Do they really want to invite those sort of scenes and images being beamed around the world? We've seen how Russian fans have behaved at tennis matches in the past year, are they naive enough to believe that Russian figure skating fans will be any less patriotic?

Additionally, are they certain they can guarantee the security and safety of the Ukrainians, Ukrainian-born skaters representing other countries, or the many other skaters who have expressed vocal, sustained support for the Ukrainian cause? If some random person is willing to attack Szemko on the streets of Moscow for the simple fault of being Ukrainian even though he skates for Hungary, one of the more Russian-friendly European countries, then how can you be certain that this won't happen at skating events? After all, it was less than thirty years ago that some idiot thugs took a crowbar to Nancy Kerrigan at US Nationals. I'm not convinced that security at skating events is any better now than it was then.

Is the ISU even thinking about these things when they consider the ridiculous IOC recommendations?

 

[kwanfan1818]

It was less than 20 years ago that a guy got on the ice as Michelle Kwan waited to skate her FS at Worlds in Dortmund. That he was a benign actor was lucky.

 

[Vagabond]

Copying Post #1 by @skatingguy

The ISU Council reiterates its solidarity with all those affected by the conflict in Ukraine and our thoughts are with the entire Ukrainian people and country. The ISU Council reaffirms its full solidarity with the ISU Members in Ukraine, the Ukrainian Speed Skating Federation and the Ukrainian Figure Skating Federation. The ISU Council will evaluate possibilities for swift humanitarian assistance to its Ukrainian ISU Members.

The ISU Council carefully evaluated the IOC Statement of February 28, 2022 as well as appeals received from ISU Members and others calling for a ban on the participation of Skaters and Officials from Russia and Belarus in ISU Events and other International Skating competitions.

Following the IOC recommendation, in order to protect the integrity of ice skating competitions and for the safety of all the participants of international ice skating competitions, the ISU Council based on Article 17.i.q)i) of the ISU Constitution, agreed that with immediate effect and until further notice, no Skaters belonging to the ISU Members in Russia (Russian Skating Union and the Figure Skating Federation of Russia) and Belarus (Skating Union of Belarus) shall be invited or allowed to participate in International ice skating Competitions including ISU Championships and other ISU Events. The same applies to Officials listed in the respective ISU Communications and/or Regulations under Russia and Belarus.

The ISU Council will continue to closely monitor the situation in Ukraine and its impact on the ISU activity and will take additional steps if and when required.

ISU Statement on the Ukrainian crisis - Participation in international competitions of Skaters and Officials from Russia and Belarus - International Skating Union

The ISU Council reaffirms its full solidarity with the ISU Members in Ukraine, the Ukrainian Speed Skating Federation and the Ukrainian Figure Skating Federation. The ISU Council will evaluate possibilities for swift humanitarian assistance to its Ukrainian ISU Members.

isu.org

Nothing has changed. If the ISU still wishes to protect the integrity of ice skating competitions and the safety of all the participants of international ice skating competitions, it should therefore continue to ban skaters beloning to the ISU Members in Russia and Belarus.

And while they are at it, they should consider (1) booting those Members out of the ISU and (2) prohibiting coaches who hold passports only from one or both of those countries from attending events.

 

[LL22]

One point that I think very STRONGLY needs to be made is the behavior of Russian FANS at various sporting events around the world - how the ISU can only exercise some sort of control over the Russian/Belarusian athletes, officials, coaches and support personnel, but they cannot control (short of kicking them out of venues) what the fans will do if Russian skaters are allowed to compete. Do they really want to invite those sort of scenes and images being beamed around the world? We've seen how Russian fans have behaved at tennis matches in the past year, are they naive enough to believe that Russian figure skating fans will be any less patriotic?

Additionally, are they certain they can guarantee the security and safety of the Ukrainians, Ukrainian-born skaters representing other countries, or the many other skaters who have expressed vocal, sustained support for the Ukrainian cause? If some random person is willing to attack Szemko on the streets of Moscow for the simple fault of being Ukrainian even though he skates for Hungary, one of the more Russian-friendly European countries, then how can you be certain that this won't happen at skating events? After all, it was less than thirty years ago that some idiot thugs took a crowbar to Nancy Kerrigan at US Nationals. I'm not convinced that security at skating events is any better now than it was then.

Is the ISU even thinking about these things when they consider the ridiculous IOC recommendations?

This is an excellent point. Safety of the athletes, coaches, officials and volunteers are of paramount importance. I hope someone brings this up as they are discussing the decision.

 

[tmari]

The ISU cannot claim to care about "fair play" if they rescind the ban while Russia continues to threaten the lives of rival athletes.

https://www.isu.org/inside-isu/isu-communications/communications/archives/600-isu-communication-2104/file

"Fair play is defined as much more than playing within the rules. It incorporates the concepts of
friendship, respect for others and sportsmanship."

If Russia should be considered for anything, it's permanent expulsion from the ISU.
It has repeatedly and egregiously violated the concept of fair play. As if the doping issue weren't serious enough, they're also sabotaging another member nation's ability to compete in the sport, even endangering the lives of athletes.

Sending your kids to learn skating is a risk because Russia attacks civilians on a daily basis. These are not accidents but deliberate policy.

Training facilities have been damaged or destroyed, or have become inaccessible due to Russia's illegal occupation in some areas. The ability to maintain rinks is hampered by frequent power cuts due to Russia's regular attacks on energy infrastructure.

Not every Ukrainian skater has the means to move abroad. Particularly novice and pre-novice skaters. Do the youngest, most vulnerable athletes not matter to the ISU?

 

[coppertop1]

Russian trolls and fans have also been bullying the other skaters who have spoken up. Loena Hendrix was getting viciously attacked for speaking up about the doping scandal at the ban.

 

[Karen-W]

Russian trolls and fans have also been bullying the other skaters who have spoken up. Loena Hendrix was getting viciously attacked for speaking up about the doping scandal at the ban.

I have my doubts as to whether or not anyone on the ISU Council cares about online fans and trolls. If they did, they would ban those people from their YouTube channel during live events.

 

[airgelaal]

I have my doubts as to whether or not anyone on the ISU Council cares about online fans and trolls. If they did, they would ban those people from their YouTube channel during live events.

Many coaches and skaters themselves have spoken publicly in the same way. This level of disrespect for others is hard to find in public statements from other countries.

 

[Alilou]

Many coaches and skaters themselves have spoken publicly in the same way. This level of disrespect for others is hard to find in public statements from other countries.

Do you have examples? (see my next comment which I'm deliberately keeping separate from this one)