ISU postpones World Figure Skating Championships

[Bluebear]

The International Skating Union has postponed the world figure skating championships which had been scheduled to start next week in Tokyo, Japan.

Parts of Japan have been devastated by an earthquake and subsequent tsunami that hit last Friday and the ISU says it "is not possible" to host the championships in Tokyo as scheduled from March 21-27.

The ISU said it hasn't decided whether to reschedule or cancel the event.

The World Team Trophy in Figure Skating scheduled to be held in Yokohama on April 14-17, will also be postponed.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/2011-03-14-779945652_x.htm

[amandabeech]

1. There is a possibity that the competition could be moved to another country.

It would be a formidable task, many of us who follow figure skating are hoping that something can be worked out.

Figure skating has become extremely popular in Japan in the past few years. The reigning World Champion and Olympic Silver Medalist in Ladies is Mao Asada of Japan. She will be challenged by Miki Ando, a former World Champion. The reigning Oly men's Silver Medalist, Dicekae (sp) Takahashi, is also from Japan. It would be a very big deal for them to win in front of their home crowd.

However, the possibility of rolling electrical blackouts might make it difficult to keep the ice surface in good condition and would wreak havoc with the schedule and with the competitors preparations.

In addition, many are wary of the situation with the three nuclear reactors which are in bad shape right now.

In the event that Worlds cannot be held in Japan, I hope that a series of benefit exhibitions can be held in a few months when things have settled down.

[Bluebear]

2. I'm sick that Meryl and Charlie won't have their chance...

...also a Ryan Bradley fan :)

It's quite a different situation from 1961, I hope that the competition is not cancelled altogether. I wonder if the competition could be moved south to Kyoto or north to Sapporo...if Japan is not able at all to host this year, certainly a smaller venue elsewhere might be able to be procured on a month's notice. But certainly your idea of benefit exhibitions would be wonderful.

In any case, sport is certainly back seat to this horrible tragedy, but Mao, Miki, and Daisuke indeed could bring some joy back home to a very sad country right now.

[amandabeech]

3. The ISU is reportedly looking for a different venue in a different country,

but it isn't at all clear that they're looking for a small venue. The noises out there suggest that the event can't be held in Japan with four nuclear plants in trouble and a general emergency going on. There was some hope that the event could be held in southern Japan, but that's looking less likely.

For a new location, Ottavio Cinquanta (a/k/a Speedy--he is a former Italian speed skater), the head of the ISU which includes both figure and speed, wants a large fan base to fill a large arena, a TV company ready to provide a feed to other networks, and something else that I can't remember. The U.S. may have offered, but one of our problems is that our visa process is slow for those living outside the EU, North America, Japan and Australia/NZ. As you know, many skaters come from Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union and mainland China, and it is not certain that every skater, coach, judge and team leader could get a visa in time. My rough estimate is that about 25-30 skaters would need expedited consideration of their visas, as would their coach and team leader.

Speedy's looking at it as a money making event only, not something for the skaters.

A big problem in not holding Worlds under the current system is the seeding of skaters into next year's Grand Prix series via world rankings and seasons' best. In addition, the number of skaters for Worlds 2012 would be determined at Worlds 2011. The current rules do not offer any guidance in the event that Worlds are not held. What's frustrating is that Speedy was the moving force behind the current system, and now he does not seem to want to do what needs to be done to make the system work. It's so frustrating!

We'll see what happens.

I suggest that you check out Figure Skating Universe for the latest, if you don't go there already.

It's great to have another skate fan here on DU! I like all the skaters you mentioned and then some!