Israeli Skating News

rfisher said:
I don't expect to see Tobias compete again unless she can figure out a way to compete under the Olympic flag. If she didn't care enough to skate at the GP event, she's not going to bother with Europeans or Worlds. It was all about the Olympics for her.
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I have the same impression. Which still does not explain why withdrow at the last moment and deny the Danes the GP event.
 
TAHbKA said:
I have the same impression. Which still does not explain why withdrow at the last moment and deny the Danes the GP event.
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Maybe that's when they finally realized they couldn't buy his citizenship and said screw it.
 
I had no idea that Bychenko actually has family in Israel. It would be nice if he could spend more time in Israel after his competitive career concludes.

A pity Shira Ichilov isn't old enough to go...
 
TAHbKA said:
I have the same impression. Which still does not explain why withdrow at the last moment and deny the Danes the GP event.
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Did you get confirmation that it was Tobias & Tkachenko who withdrew from the GPs at the last minute? Rather than the Israeli Federation already knowing but choosing not to withdraw T&T from the events?
 
Dobre said:
Did you get confirmation that it was Tobias & Tkachenko who withdrew from the GPs at the last minute? Rather than the Israeli Federation already knowing but choosing not to withdraw T&T from the events?
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Whoever it is - it's equally wtf
 
There was a scenario, however unlikely, that ISR could have lost the team spot, had T/T withdrawn earlier and had been replaced:
  • Since KOR had no Jr. Ice Dance points and Korea was 124 points behind ISR, if Min/Gamelin (Top 10 Senior w/o 2) had replaced T/T and had placed 8th (192 points) or above, KOR would have bumped ISR down one spot in the team standings AND
  • If Brendan Kerry had replaced Hendrickx (a late illness WD) instead of Firus, and had medalled, AUS would have bumped ISR down one spot in the team standings
I'm not sure if this was a consideration at all, but it did ensure a team spot for ISR.
 
TAHbKA said:
Whoever it is - it's equally wtf
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I agree that it was a lousy choice.

And I have no idea if my theory about the team points is what happened. But I can see the Israeli Federation protecting their team berth.

Min & Gamelin were on that dance replacement list and they filled the open SA dance spot last season. (He is an American, and they were the top ranked dance team without a GP invite). And Korea was in the game. Korea paid attention to the rules. They pulled their injured ladies and kept their JGP points. They pulled their senior pair team from Worlds last year and hung onto their points earned with their junior pair as well.

I can't blame Israel if they guarded their points as carefully.

Australia, OTOH, sent their pair team to Worlds and lost the points they had already earned. It contributed to Australia missing out on a spot. Certainly wasn't the only thing that did; but you can't blame a federation on the bubble for guarding the points they had.
 
Who knew that when many of us were sacrificing livestock so that Alexandrova/Windsor would hold on and make the FS in Helsinki -- which they did by .43 over Suto/Boudreau-Audet, who can't even take the Olympics spot -- that making the FS would be the difference between AUS making the team event and not.
 
reut said:
Today they will get uniforms, will be officially presented to media and there will be a small gala. I'll be there, so we will have photos on AS at some point.
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The "Olympic team presentation" event took place in Holon, last Thursday, at the ice rink (because 7 out of 9 athletes are skaters). It's a rather small place and suddenly and unexpectedly I was not the only journalist present. :D
https://twitter.com/tuerush/status/941329155286884356

I came earlier but was not allowed to take any photos before the specific time allotted for all media representatives. So I chatted with Shira Ichilov and then, because we were already talking and both of us anyway had nothing to do (she was waiting to perform at the gala which was part of the event), I proposed her to have a formal interview. She is a lovely child, very friendly, very upbeat. And making skating interview in Hebrew made it quite special for me. :D We also needed to get permission from a few people to have this interview as apparently Israeli TV channel did documentary about her which will be broadcast soon on Channel 10 (which is now called 14, I think?).

The press conference part was formal but not very formal and quite warm. It was, obviously, being held in Hebrew so at least half of the team had no idea what they were talking about. :D There was a head of IOC present, also, the head of the Israeli delegation to Korea. A few more officials I don't know. Yael Arad was there too, which excited me a little as she is one of The Sports Legends here (and we don't have that many :) ). She mentioned that she visited the main "base" of Israeli skaters in NJ and was impressed.
Athletes' representatives were invited to say a few words, Krasnopolsky was one of them.

After speeches each athlete presented herself/himself and could add a few words. Everyone said same thing: "I'm very excited and very grateful blahblahblah"

Unexpected (for me) guest was Michael Shmerkin who represented Israel in our first Winter Olympics in 1994, the only Israeli at Olympics back then.
https://www.facebook.com/IsraelOlym...980971562820/1602465749814330/?type=3&theater
He also said a few words and in Hebrew even, although now he probably doesn't have much practice with it.

At the end of the event Boris Chait was presented with Israeli Sports Lifetime Achievement Award (we have a Sports Person of the Year ceremony at the end of December, but they gave it earlier to him). And also it was announced that figure skating from now on is defined as one of "priority sports" in Israel (means more money, I guess)

Journalists were invited to ask questions, but only two were asked. I asked about the flag bearer (not decided yet, I hope it will be Bychenko, he really deserves that, Galit agreed with me when we discussed this afterwards). Another one asked if there were any conclusions made after Sochi when a few athletes recalled that they are Jews/Israelies only for the sake of going to Olys and then very quickly forgot about it. This question wasn't really answered. :D

"Photo session" after the presser didn't really work out, the room was small, suddenly all the parents also wanted to take photos, I couldn't get through them to take a decent photo, so I don't really have good photos of the whole team.

Afterwards there was a short gala where local young skaters took part (and were actually really not bad at all) and also our Olympians skated, including Daniel who didn't compete (he used some famous song, don't remember which one, did a few spins, a few moves and steps, don't remember if any jumps, don't think so).

We will publish my album from Nationals and this event on AS and I will share it here.

Photos I found online:
https://www.facebook.com/maria.zilberberg/posts/1748288528528502?pnref=story
https://www.facebook.com/IsraelOlym...980971562820/1605306802863558/?type=3&theater
https://www.facebook.com/IsraelOlympicCommittee/posts/1601719053222333

Reports in press (Hebrew):
https://www.haaretz.co.il/sport/other/.premium-1.4714147
http://www.isport.co.il/showArticle-35239
https://sports.walla.co.il/item/3119455
 
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TV report about Boris, Israeli team in NJ and Shira (Hebrew):
http://10tv.nana10.co.il/Article/?ArticleID=1278947

That's interesting, they mentioned the tension between Boris and a coaching team from Eilat, maybe that is the answer to the question why we don't have Nationals in Eilat. Journalist hints that the team from Eilat doesn't support this idea of main team training abroad, she says to Boris: "Well, they have an Olympic size rink there", Boris answers: "They don't have anything, only the rink" (wow, that was rude). And yet Aviv Akko (sp?) who trains in NJ was only third while Ivetta Berkovich who is from Eilat won.
 
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Associated Press article dated Jan. 8: https://wintergames.ap.org/article/court-blocks-500k-award-israeli-us-skating-dispute
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — A New Jersey court on Monday denied the Israeli skating federation's attempt to recover more than $500,000 from a woman who sued to be allowed to skate for the United States.
The ruling by a three-member appeals court rejected the Israeli Ice Skating Federation's argument that Andrea Davidovich should pay the federation's attorneys' fees, approximately $540,000, because she filed the lawsuit frivolously and should have first appealed to the sports international governing body.
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Stuart Slotnick, an attorney for Davidovich, said the skater "is thankful that the Court recognized that she has a right to pursue her dreams. She now happily puts this unpleasant chapter in her life behind her."
Brian Spector, an attorney for the Israeli federation, said his clients "are disappointed with the decision and are evaluating their options."
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Same AP article was published here: https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-court-sides-with-olympic-skater-in-dispute-with-israeli-federation/
 
Kunstrijdster said:
As per this video her mother holds an Israeli passport:
http://13wham.com/sports/local-sports/pittsfords-paige-conners-headed-to-2018-winter-olympic-games
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The video makes it even more puzzling. Conners says her mother "has Israeli lineage." whatever that means.

Acquisition of nationality by birth is granted to:
1. Persons who were born in Israel to a mother or a father who are Israeli citizens.
2. Persons born outside Israel, if their father or mother holds Israeli citizenship, acquired either by birth in Israel, according to the Law of Return, by residence, or by naturalization.
3. Persons born after the death of one of their parents, if the late parent was an Israeli citizen by virtue of the conditions enumerated in 1. and 2. above at the time of death....
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http://www.mfa.gov.il/mfa/aboutisrael/state/pages/acquisition of israeli nationality.aspx

:confused: If her mother isn't a sabra, something's odd. Maybe Paige made the team the old-fashioned way, with a quickie aliyah.
 
Vagabond, I don't know why you care so much, but I can assure you that her story is different than Tkachenko's. Otherwise she would have been in the very same situation as he was and wouldn't be allowed to go to Olys.
According to this her mother doesn't have to be sabra:
"Persons born outside Israel, if their father or mother holds Israeli citizenship, acquired either by birth in Israel, according to the Law of Return, by residence, or by naturalization."
Maybe her mother made aliyah at some point and then went back to US.

P.S. Also, not sure she actually celebrates Christmas, the article just mentions that she visited her grandparents during Christmas time.
 
Paige Conners' mother has dual citizenship. Ilia Tkachenko's parents do not. The end.

reut said:
P.S. Also, not sure she actually celebrates Christmas, the article just mentions that she visited her grandparents during Christmas time.
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And even if she does celebrate Christmas, who cares? Many kids in interfaith families do, as do plenty of Israelis: Arab Christians of various denominations, and some of those who came to Israel from the former USSR.
 
Btw that article is not accurate:

After she failed to qualify for Team USA due to illness, her mother had an idea. Since she had a dual U.S.-Israeli citizenship, so does Paige.
So in theory she could compete but the only potential opening was in pairs, something she’d never done.
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Page took part in Israeli Nationals last season, as a single skater in juniors. You can see her photo on the podium:
http://absoluteskating.com/index.php?cat=photogallery&id=2016israelinats

As for Christmas/not Christmas formally Jews who declare that they are Christians are not allowed Israeli citizenship, to be more precise, can't claim to become Israeli citizens because the Law of Return does not hold in that case. Not sure about her case, where she got in as Israeli's daughter.

P.S. Another detail from there I didn't know: "Aimee Buchanan will skate in the team event only because she was unable to compete in the single women’s qualifier in Germany which was held on Yom Kippur." Conners/Krasnopolski qualified at the very same event (which was indeed partially falling on Yom Kippur, but pairs' free indeed finished before Yom Kippur started, but I didn't know anybody in Israeli Federation ever cared). But then, Buchanan had zero chances to qualify at Nebelhorn anyway.
 
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news story about Buchanan: https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/North-Texas-Ice-Skater-Heading-To-Olympics-471826103.html
“When I was four years old and I first started to skate I was like, ‘I want to go to the Olympics!’ My mom’s just like, ‘Ya, okay Aimee,’ like okay sure every little kid’s going to say that,” Buchanan said.
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Even though Aimee grew up skating in the United States, at the Olympics she’ll be skating for Israel. She’ll be representing the country that she’s connected to through faith.

“So my mom’s Jewish, and since she’s 100% Jewish makes me 100% Jewish. And so in order for me to be a citizen, as long as your mother’s Jewish you can have dual citizenship with the US,” Buchanan said.
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reut said:
Btw that article is not accurate:



Page took part in Israeli Nationals last season, as a single skater in juniors. You can see her photo on the podium:
http://absoluteskating.com/index.php?cat=photogallery&id=2016israelinats

As for Christmas/not Christmas formally Jews who declare that they are Christians are not allowed Israeli citizenship, to be more precise, can't claim to become Israeli citizens because the Law of Return does not hold in that case. Not sure about her case, where she got is as Israeli's daughter.

P.S. Another detail from there I didn't know: "Aimee Buchanan will skate in the team event only because she was unable to compete in the single women’s qualifier in Germany which was held on Yom Kippur." Conners/Krasnopolski qualified at the very same event (which was indeed partially falling on Yom Kippur, but pairs' free indeed finished before Yom Kippur started, but I didn't know anybody in Israeli Federation ever cared). But then, Buchanan had zero chances to qualify at Nebelhorn anyway.
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Aimee was at Nebelhorn. She wd after the sp in 30th place.

Paige skated for Israel at JW last year. I am not sure why her citizenship is such an issue as she most likely would have went to the Olys either way as a single skater or a pairs skater. She is certainly better than Buchanan.
 
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