Chinese Skating News, Pt. 3: A long & winding road to Beijing 2022

[Jammers]

S/H thinking about competing in Milan is insane to be honest. With her history of injuries she's going to become like Plushenko and barely able to walk let alone compete better to walk out on top.

 

[raruki]

小红书

xhslink.com

Sui replied to one of her fans on Weibo saying that she will publish her own book(could be self-biography?) this May.

 

[Frau Muller]

Is it true that Chinese figure skating (for international participation & ISU events) has totally shut down? As in nothing, nada, niente??? No more Lori Nichol on retainer? No more sending elite skaters to Canada to live & train? If so…wow, an abrupt ending to 30+ years of building up.

 

[Frau Muller]

Adding -
China is sending ZERO competitors to Jr Worlds next month. It’s now becoming apparent that it’s not just a matter of individual excuses among their Olympics skaters…x is tired or y is injured. Something major is going on.

 

[BlueRidge]

Has there been any indication that this is anything more than Chinese figure skating's plan with regard to the Olympic season in conjunction with COVID protocols? I didn't think there was.

 

[clairecloutier]

Has there been any indication that this is anything more than Chinese figure skating's plan with regard to the Olympic season in conjunction with COVID protocols? I didn't think there was.

I cannot remember, off the top of my head, any year since at least the late 1990s that China did not send a team to Worlds. Their top skaters haven’t always gone to the post-Olympic Worlds, but the lower-ranked skaters would still go.

Shen/Zhao won post-Olympic Worlds in 2002. Pang/Tong won both their World titles at post-Olympic Worlds (2006, 2010). Peng/Zhang were 5th at 2014 Worlds, and Yu/Zhang and Peng/Jin competed at 2018 Worlds.

So there is no recent history of China skipping post-Olympic Worlds.

The decision to skip this year is therefore likely due to 1) extreme caution around COVID-19; 2) a scaling back of the Chinese figure skating program; or 3) both.

 

[Karen-W]

FWIW, Wang/Liu both congratulated IAM for the fantastic Worlds the program had and said they wish they'd been there and can't wait to be with them again. I do think, once Liu is recovered from his surgery, that we'll see them (and Chen/Sun) allowed to return to Montreal and continue competing. Those are the only Chinese skaters/teams I expect to see on the GP next season, though.

 

[BlueRidge]

FWIW, Wang/Liu both congratulated IAM for the fantastic Worlds the program had and said they wish they'd been there and can't wait to be with them again. I do think, once Liu is recovered from his surgery, that we'll see them (and Chen/Sun) allowed to return to Montreal and continue competing. Those are the only Chinese skaters/teams I expect to see on the GP next season, though.

I'm glad to hear that.

It seems pretty strange they'd give up on pairs though. I haven't been following it the last couple of years, but it seems like they've sort of wound down pairs over several years?

 

[Karen-W]

I'm glad to hear that.

It seems pretty strange they'd give up on pairs though. I haven't been following it the last couple of years, but it seems like they've sort of wound down pairs over several years?

None of the young pairs teams they've created in recent years have had the same kind of success as in the past. Wang/Huang couldn't even get one of the 3 Olympic spots up for grabs at Nebelhorn. In years past, it would have been a given that the #3 Chinese team was appreciably better than teams like Safina/Berulava, Barquero/Zandron and, most importantly, Kops/Krasnopolski. The fact that they didn't beat K/K kinda says it all...

 

[jlai]

I thought Jackie’s podcast mentioned them using a vaccine that is not acceptable in France.

 

[AxelAnnie]

S/H thinking about competing in Milan is insane to be honest. With her history of injuries she's going to become like Plushenko and barely able to walk let alone compete better to walk out on top.

Yes, but their ability to heal and come back winning at competitions is totally laudable. I hope they skate again. They bring so very much to the ice.

 

[jlai]

I must admit ice skating is an expensive sport that takes a lot of resources, water, electricity, unlike soccer or running

 

[Rhumba d’Amour]

I thought Jackie’s podcast mentioned them using a vaccine that is not acceptable in France.

And I think that is the key here. I remember that Peng/Jin were also pulled from their assignment to the French Grand Prix this season. At the time people noted that France has strict visa/entry requirements that barred those vaccinated with vaccines France doesn’t recognize.

Worlds being in France this season might have again been the reason China did not/could not send anyone there.

 

[raruki]

The Chinese sports authority is now facing a change of management after the Olympics, especially the management of the winter sports. Currently, most winter sports national teams except skiing are dissolved and no one is running and managing those winter sports national teams at this moment until all of the changes of management are finalized. I strongly doubt that they will send anyone to the ISU meeting to defend the host of the Cup of China.

 

[raruki]

中国花样滑冰协会

www.cfsa.com.cn

There is an announcement from CFSA searching for an organizer in China to host COC this year at the beginning of this month.
Hope that they manage to finalize everything in advance and still can send someone to defend and secure the host of COC

 

[Joubabe]

中国花样滑冰协会

www.cfsa.com.cn

There is an announcement from CFSA searching for an organizer in China to host COC this year at the beginning of this month.
Hope that they manage to finalize everything in advance and still can send someone to defend and secure the host of COC

It’s good to hear that their lack of participation at Worlds is probably just temporary and that we’ll see Chinese skaters at future events.

 

[Frau Muller]

The Chinese …Currently, most winter sports national teams except skiing are dissolved ….

And it’s the word “dissolved” that makes me not so happy. On the other hand, it’s nice to hear about maybe hosting CoC again.

 

[Sabine-Yuna]

And it’s the word “dissolved” that makes me not so happy. On the other hand, it’s nice to hear about maybe hosting CoC again.

As long as China holds on to their strict Covid measures it would be better not to do a CoC. I don't think anyone really wants to go there.

 

[Karen-W]

As long as China holds on to their strict Covid measures it would be better not to do a CoC. I don't think anyone really wants to go there.

Yes, I suspect that after the Beijing Olympic experience, especially compared to the loosening of restrictions around the majority of other countries that host skating competitions regularly, there isn't much of an appetite to go back to China next fall.

 

[Jammers]

I say let China clean up their mess then maybe go back to holding COC there.

 

[Karen-W]

I say let China clean up their mess then maybe go back to holding COC there.

I'd rather see the event held in a country that had a viable skating program.

 

[BittyBug]

Can anyone provide a brief summary of the arc of the storyline in this Han Yan video?

Yan Han on Instagram

996 likes, 41 comments - icehanyan on February 9, 2022

www.instagram.com

 

[AxelAnnie]

I'd rather see the

Well...i think the Snoopy opy Rink (just north of the GGB would be great.

How could anyone be stressed or worried if you are skating with Snoopy?

 

[livetoskate]

Can anyone provide a brief summary of the arc of the storyline in this Han Yan video?

Yan Han on Instagram

996 likes, 41 comments - icehanyan on February 9, 2022

www.instagram.com

Thanks for sharing this! My Chinese isn't that good (my parents came from Taiwan and I was born in the US), so I could only understand about 50% of it. It's talking about the rise of Han Yan's skating career, when he was the one to watch as a young teen. I'm pretty sure the older man shown watching him at the practice rink is his grandfather (Lao ye, which literally means old paternal grandfather), and Han Yan says his grandfather likes watching him skate and thinks his skating is so cool and compelling to watch. Then it talks about how the sport got harder and more people were doing quads (showing Yuzuru and Nathan falling on quads). Han Yan talks about how he still loves skating and still wants to train. 2021 Worlds was the most enjoyable for him, where he could really savor the audience/ambience and share his love of the sport. Toward the end, he looks to the future and hopes that he can inspire children to skate and skate because it makes them happy.

 

[BittyBug]

Thank you so much @livetoskate.

Watching Han Yan's incredible skating in those videos makes me really hope he will continue. The lilt in his knees and the strength of his edges are at the pinnacle of this sport, and his 3A is just gobsmacking for height and distance. He may not be able to get his quad back, but his overall skating is of such high quality, he could still place well.

 

[raruki]

I have heard from some rumors and unverified sources that the Chinese sports authority wants to reform the skating programs by demolishing the national teams, commercializing the whole program as a whole, granting the commercialized skating clubs more autonomy and freedom, but still keeping the state-funded local provincial teams.

 

[raruki]

Han also said in a recent interview that they will compete in the next Olympics, but will take some time to have a rest at first.
The interview is only available in a Chinese local app, I will post the link as soon as possible if someone uploads it on a social medial platform.

 

[raruki]

Han also said in a recent interview that they will compete in the next Olympics, but will take 1 and 2 years to have a rest.
The interview is only available in a Chinese local app, I will post the link as soon as possible if someone uploads it on a social medial platform.

https://twitter.com/kattwts/status/1509305285738958861

 

[Gris]

Thanks for sharing this! My Chinese isn't that good (my parents came from Taiwan and I was born in the US), so I could only understand about 50% of it. It's talking about the rise of Han Yan's skating career, when he was the one to watch as a young teen. I'm pretty sure the older man shown watching him at the practice rink is his grandfather (Lao ye, which literally means old paternal grandfather), and Han Yan says his grandfather likes watching him skate and thinks his skating is so cool and compelling to watch. Then it talks about how the sport got harder and more people were doing quads (showing Yuzuru and Nathan falling on quads). Han Yan talks about how he still loves skating and still wants to train. 2021 Worlds was the most enjoyable for him, where he could really savor the audience/ambience and share his love of the sport. Toward the end, he looks to the future and hopes that he can inspire children to skate and skate because it makes them happy.

Thanks! A small correction: "lao ye" (姥爷) means maternal grandpa not paternal. Paternal grandpa = "ye ye" (爷爷)

To add some:

At the start the narrator mentioned Daisuke Takahashi has called Han Yan "a formidable opponent". Han Yan said his favorite competition is the first time he won the National title (in 09-10) because he was very young then and didn't expect that. His grandpa couldn't believe it either.

Then he said he was going so smoothly in his early career and it might not be a good thing since you wouldn't know how to face adversity.

The narrator talked about his repeated shoulder injuries, quad jumps, technical content and scores etc. Han Yan said figure skating keeps changing directions, it's not predictable (like fashion trends), but will eventually become more balanced.

Han said he liked to watch dancing rather than sports in childhood. Said he was so active as a kid so his grandpa decided to send him to a sports program.

 

[livetoskate]

Thanks! A small correction: "lao ye" (姥爷) means maternal grandpa not paternal. Paternal grandpa = "ye ye" (爷爷)

To add some:

At the start the narrator mentioned Daisuke Takahashi has called Han Yan "a formidable opponent". Han Yan said his favorite competition is the first time he won the National title (in 09-10) because he was very young then and didn't expect that. His grandpa couldn't believe it either.

Then he said he was going so smoothly in his early career and it might not be a good thing since you wouldn't know how to face adversity.

The narrator talked about his repeated shoulder injuries, quad jumps, technical content and scores etc. Han Yan said figure skating keeps changing directions, it's not predictable (like fashion trends), but will eventually become more balanced.

Han said he liked to watch dancing rather than sports in childhood. Said he was so active as a kid so his grandpa decided to send him to a sports program.

Thanks for the information! I hope Han Yan can keep skating, or at the very least, share his skills as a coach. He got to skate in Denis Ten's shows in Kazakhstan, & it's nice that he's got a big fanbase.