2026 Milano-Cortina Olympics - Figure Skating Qualification

So actually the club has removed the story and apparently didn´t clear it with them first...

Swedish Media is now reporting that they might not get to go because of citizenship issues and SOC requirements. Yikes. But maybe media attention can speed up the process of citizenship and bring some attention to the stupid requirements.
 
Okay, I just read about it in Swedish media - for anyone else interested and can read Swedish or wants to try a translator, here is the article.

It seems like Milla already started the application process in March, but the issue here is the application process time, which seems to be longer then usual. They said she has lived in Sweden long enough and has done everything right in the process, which is actually great because I was unsure if they would make the cut. She must have lived there for 2 years and I had the impression they moved there around January 2024. They might formally already have changed the address when they teamed up, which would make sense if she applied already in March. If she started the process 9 months ago, I´m actually more optimistic about the citizenship situation, all though there is not much time left. Maybe reaching out to media might speed up the process now.

However - they say they also must reach the requirements from SOC, which is said to be equal to a top 12 placement at the Olympics, like heck - that is not realistic. I´m not sure what that would mean either..
 
Kelvster said:
pleeeeeease evoke the talented athletes exception…….

One doesn’t get that many chances in life to skate in the Olympics …….
Click to expand...
Yeah this is the option they have.

I have two thoughts about this.

If you look at them isolated as a team, I think they should very well be within the requirements here. They are really talented, already won a Challenger medal and has been improving every season, behind what anyone actually could expect. If that doesn´t fit the criteria, what does? I would go as far as say if you compare them with other new teams across the world, they are among the most talented new teams we have seen in a while. If you add on that Sweden never had a ice dance team at the Olympics, they were the first to be represented at Worlds for many years etc., they tick of several boxes here. Milla is only 20 and is fairly young. I hope they can argue with this and not care about if they will make the free at Olympics or not, because that would be very unfair with how much world ranking and politics influences the scores, but they even have a chance here but it will depend on other teams are clean or not.

The big if here is that Nikolaj already got this exception in 2022 as a single skater, and if they are willing to look through it since it´s a new discipline. I obviously think they should because of the arguments ahead, but that could possible raise questions about others who don´t get it a 2nd time. That is what happend with Alexander Majorov. For example there is a chance that Andreas won´t get it in 2030 if he sticks around, if he doesn´t reach the high standard requirements. And then I assume there are the other sports as well that it sets precedents for. This is about Olympics, not just figure sakting.

My cents is that they might look through it because it´s a huge deal for ice dance in Sweden. The media coverage they are doing now would certainly make it difficult for SOC to deny it - the press release from yesterday reached several media outlets.

But if Milla doesn´t get her citizenship in time, i´m not sure we will know or if they even make a formal assessment. By 2030 they might not be a looked as a "future prospect", since they probably might retire after that, and Nikolaj will be 29.
 
Let’s hope all the stars align and these two can go.

Just wish to add that like many, I am rather sick of Romeo and Juliet … but when I watched their performance at the qualifiers I was blown away. The youthful passion and freedom! It takes me back to my young days lol
 
Danilova/Tsiba fell well short of the minimum score required by the Dutch Olympic Committee to confirm the Olympic spot they earned in Boston. It remains to be seen whether or not the Dutch OC will relent and send them to Milano-Cortina, but it isn't looking too hopeful.

Also, Golubeva/Giotopoulos Moore withdrew from the FS at Golden Spin after an awful SP.

So, the question of whether or not those two spots will be used by NED & AUS remains very much up in the air.
 
Even if the Australians might not be in best shape, it's two more months to go to the Olympics and if they aren't seriously injured why shouldn't they get the Olympic experience?
Different case with the Dutch, but maybe they get an exception. I don't know how strict the Dutch OC is.
 
Sabine-Yuna said:
Even if the Australians might not be in best shape, it's two more months to go to the Olympics and if they aren't seriously injured why shouldn't they get the Olympic experience?
Different case with the Dutch, but maybe they get an exception. I don't know how strict the Dutch OC is.
Click to expand...
The Australians have been dealing with injuries. Yes, they needed to be in Australia to complete her residency requirements but she has also stated, in her most recent IG post, that they've been dealing with her recovery from a concussion. That can be a long, tough road to come back from and their withdrawal today is concerning.

www.instagram.com

ANASTASIA/ on Instagram: "It’s been a long time since I posted anything… But I think it’s time to share what we’ve been going through. We’ve faced many barriers along the way, and we had to overcome every single one of them. This season has been in

A figure skater's journey through adversity, featuring challenges with citizenship and injuries, is a testament to the strength of their team and their commitment to pursuing their dreams on the ice.
www.instagram.com www.instagram.com
 
not sure where to post this, but Christina Carreira received her US citizenship on 11/20 -

www.nbcolympics.com

Christina Carreira earns U.S. citizenship, takes one step closer to her Olympic dream

Two-time national silver medalists, Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko spent years navigating the citizenship process so the pair could represent the United States at the Olympics. This week, their immigration struggles concluded.
www.nbcolympics.com www.nbcolympics.com

So, Carreira/ Ponomarenko have a shot at the Olympics, though the road is a little tougher than it was at the beginning of the season.
 
The Dutch are all about speed skating, I doubt if many care if they have a pair team in Milan. :(
 
PRlady said:
The Dutch are all about speed skating, I doubt if many care if they have a pair team in Milan. :(
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I dunno... They were pretty excited when Lindsay van Zundert qualified 4 years ago - and the Dutch OC relaxed their score standards to allow her to go when she didn't achieve their minimum requirement either. DanTsi would be the first pairs team to ever represent the Netherlands at the Olympics, which is pretty historic. I'm crossing my fingers for them.
 
Anybody have any idea if Swedish OC actually has a certain score for the standard requirements? I heard something about the possibility to place top 12 at Olympics, which is not very specific.

If this could translate to the top 12 scores at Worlds in Boston, that would be 244.19 for men and 187.17 for ice dance.
Andreas scored 241.65 at Swedish Nats today, so in that case he would be very close to the standard requirement. Reitan/Majorov improved their RD score to 73.09 today and might end around a mid 180 score tomorrow if they go clean.

I´m not entirely sure if they count in Swedish Nats score, but I do think that was the case before, because I remember that they talked about Alexander Majorov had been so awful close with a score at Swedish Nats.
 
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Regarding the citizenship issue, Milla and Nikolaj has spoken today with media about the citizenship situation. Here is a link to paper: Expressen.

So the facts from the article: Migrationsverket in Sweden received her application only 12 days ago, the 1th of December. Milla couldn´t apply before December because of the residency requirements of living 2 years in Sweden which only applied in December. This aligns with her registration being around mid December 2023 from public records.

They said it´s a race with the clock and they don´t know if she will get the passport in time. They will just wait and see and try not to think and hope too much. They are happy about the possibility but don´t want to celebrate yet. They say that if Olympic won´t happen for them now, they have a long career ahead of them.

There was another article a few days ago where someone interviewed a spokesperson from Migrationsverket about Millas case. He talked about that statistically for 75% of the cases it takes 37 months for adults to get a decision and in light of that it looked rather bleak, but he also said there are individual cases that could go really fast, but that there is no point in speculating, because it really depends from case to case. I think this leaves the door open for a quick process, knowing that there are individual cases that could go faster. I just looked at some statistic for decision time, and the standard time for Nordic citizens seems to be around 2 months, so that is a lot shorter then the average 37 months. Younger people's (18-21) decision time is also shorter, around 6 months, so maybe the combination of Nordic citizen, young age and a sports athlete going to Olympics might help here get a decision really fast?

It seems she should get a decision around the 1th of February given the average standard decision time for Nordic citizens, which will just be a little too late, but this is just average for 75% of the cases.
 
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