Montreal chosen as host for 2020 figure skating world championships

[tony]

Lorenzo Magri (Italian coach) has raised his concerns about the event going ahead with the ISU via Instagram.

It’s also on Facebook, and there are several notable people who are also scheduled to be at Worlds/involved in the sport who are agreeing with him.

 

[MR-FAN]

How about instead of banning all spectators they only allow Canadians ages 19-65 whose names start with M?!?

 

[skategal]

How about instead of banning all spectators they only allow Canadians ages 19-65 whose names start with M?!?

Is it too late to change my name?

 

[rfisher]

I don't think the ISU's decision is relevant. Every person who planned to attend needs to decide for themselves what to do.

 

[honey]

An announcement on decision for worlds coming today from the government, per this tweet from a reporter. The part about SC pushing back press calls last minute has me thinking cancelling.

Lori Ewing on Twitter

“Quebec Premier (my prvs tweet said health minister) says decision to be announced today on next week's world figure skating championships in Montreal. Meanwhile, Skate Canada postponed 2 conference calls with Cdn skaters scheduled for today to Friday, with half an hours notice.”

twitter.com

 

[concorde]

I don't think the ISU's decision is relevant. Every person who planned to attend needs to decide for themselves what to do.

Agreed. Our airfare and hotel are nonrefundable so we are going regardless. If we stay home, we have the same issues as if we go so might as well go.

I ride public transportation every day to/from work. My kids' school were shut down yesterday. One of the peditricians at the next office over from ours has tested positive. So staying here is not safe either.

 

[mattiecat13]

Can they just make a decision and be done with it?!?!? This will-we or won't-we is getting old.

 

[victorskid]

Can they just make a decision and be done with it?!?!? This will-we or won't-we is getting old.

Sadly, this is a situation that is changing around the world almost minute to minute. Lots of things are in "flux".

 

[clairecloutier]

Okay. I thought yesterday's press conference was the final word from the Quebec gov't. I guess not?

 

[victorskid]

Okay. I thought yesterday's press conference was the final word from the Quebec gov't. I guess not?

They did say that last minute decisions might still be made, or words to that effect.

 

[skategal]

I can’t see them cancelling out right. They seem to have decent protocols in place for athletes, coaches, and media.

I can see them blocking spectators.

 

[Sabine-Yuna]

Lorenzo Magri (Italian coach) has raised his concerns about the event going ahead with the ISU via Instagram.

Actually I don't quite understand his concerns. First: all Italian skaters are in Canada at the moment, so they have travelled already. Second: at this point Italians seem to be safer in Canada than at home. Canada has less cases and probably the better health care system. Does he think it would be better for them to go back to Italy or does he think they have higher risk to catch the virus at Worlds? To me these concerns are a little confusing.

 

[sandra_persch]

Actually I don't quite understand his concerns. First: all Italian skaters are in Canada at the moment, so they have travelled already. Second: at this point Italians seem to be safer in Canada than at home. Canada has less cases and probably the better health care system. Does he think it would be better for them to go back to Italy or does he think they have higher risk to catch the virus at Worlds? To me these concerns are a little confusing.

Sounds more like he wants Canada to be more careful than Italy was. Canada still is at point where they can stop the virus from impacting everything big time like it currently does in Italy.

 

[SLIVER]

No one loves skating more than I do and I would be gutted for Worlds to be cancelled but Canada and the ISU are utterly delusional to keep this event going. When you live in Italy or the rest of Europe you start to understand the gravity of the situation.
The same mistakes were made in Europe, ‘oh we only have 4 cases so carry on as normal’.
When you only have 4 cases you don’t carry on as normal, you take ALL the precautions to keep that number as low as possible.
Yes it’s a flu and yes 89% of people will only get it very mildly. Half a million people die of flu a year but the mortality rate is 0.1% for the flu not 2 to 4%, that’s a massive difference. The flu has been around for ages, there’s a vaccine for it and a much better understanding of it.
I am young and fit and don’t worry for me but for 20,000 people to congregate daily for a whole week in a relatively cold place with many being over the age of 60 is utterly unnecessary.

 

[missing]

Here's an article about the announcement being made today.

 

[Gris]

The same mistakes were made in Europe, ‘oh we only have 4 cases so carry on as normal’.
When you only have 4 cases you don’t carry on as normal, you take ALL the precautions to keep that number as low as possible.

Yes exactly. Another issue is once the hospitals get packed the death rate will climb by a lot. As of today, Wuhan's (officially reported) death rate is about 4.9% while the rest of China is at about 2.4%.

And Wuhan managed to keep the death rate down by literally sacrificing people who were seriously ill with other diseases - there was a time when no hospital was available for dialysis, chemotherapy, emergency surgery etc.

 

[binbinwinwin]

Actually I don't quite understand his concerns. First: all Italian skaters are in Canada at the moment, so they have travelled already. Second: at this point Italians seem to be safer in Canada than at home. Canada has less cases and probably the better health care system. Does he think it would be better for them to go back to Italy or does he think they have higher risk to catch the virus at Worlds? To me these concerns are a little confusing.

We have less cases and we want to keep it at less cases. On a normal basis many hospitals are already operating at 100% capacity without a pandemic, having a bunch of international travellers sitting closely together means a lot of risk. They have travelled already but many others have not.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

“chances it will be canceled”

https://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/winter/figureskating/canada-figure-skating-world-championships-1.5493642

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

What if they don’t cancel it but just don’t allow an audience.…

But then you have to assume the skaters can arrive on flights in time. I was watching the gymnastics American cup this weekend and team Italy had a problem getting to Milwaukee.

 

[thvu]

At this point, it's best they cancel the event, or postpone it to summer if Russia can host again (and willing to put up $ to do so.) Holding a closed event without spectators would be a financial disaster.

 

[Wyliefan]

If they're going to postpone it, why not just keep it in Canada? Or will the Canadian stadiums all be booked up later?

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

I’m watching American news now and they’re saying that the NBA and other sporting events are going to go ahead but with no fans and no audience.

Wondering if they will just do that for worlds

 

[thvu]

If they're going to postpone it, why not just keep it in Canada? Or will the Canadian stadiums all be booked up later?

When Worlds in Japan got cancelled after Fukushima, the only reason Worlds was still held that year was because Putin was able to bend the Russian Bureaucracy to his will, expediting visas, ensuring a proper venue, and also helping to finance the event.
I don't see Worlds being held this year unless a country is willing to do the same thing Putin was willing to do in 2011.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

Yeah but what happened then was very specific to Japan, what’s happening now is specific to the whole world. No reason to go to Russia.

It’s not like there was a specific tragedy in Montreal Canada that it needs now to go to Russia.

 

[Colonel Green]

There's just no practical way to hold Worlds later in the year, in any location. The skaters need their time off and then to start getting ready for the following season.

 

[Frau Muller]

When Worlds in Japan got cancelled after Fukushima, the only reason Worlds was still held that year was because Putin was able to bend the Russian Bureaucracy to his will, expediting visas, ensuring a proper venue, and also helping to finance the event.
I don't see Worlds being held this year unless a country is willing to do the same thing Putin was willing to do in 2011.

Just think - Eteri’s princesses would get to sweep the podium on home turf. Hmm...

 

[smurfy]

WHO press conference on now. I go to it via cnn.com

 

[Frau Muller]

WHO just declared this a pandemic:

Coronavirus: News and live updates

The latest news and information on the pandemic from Yahoo News reporters in the United States and around the world.

news.yahoo.com

 

[ostile17]

I don't think the ISU's decision is relevant. Every person who planned to attend needs to decide for themselves what to do.

No, because they obviously aren't aware of the risks they are running and the risks at which they are putting the community they go back to when they return home!

This is serious, maybe you don't understand!

WHO just declared this a pandemic:

Coronavirus: News and live updates

The latest news and information on the pandemic from Yahoo News reporters in the United States and around the world.

news.yahoo.com

This! 'Nuf said!

 

[Lana K]

Honestly, as someone who has lived in Montréal since 2013, I really hope they cancel it or hold the events without spectators. The city's hospitals are chronically understaffed, nurses are burnt out, and the wait times are some of the worst in Canada. We are not well-equipped to handle a pandemic. Letting this event occur feels pretty darn negligent.